The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is pressuring Apple over allegations that the Apple News app is censoring conservative viewpoints, escalating the ongoing debate over how major tech platforms curate and promote information.
In a letter sent to Apple CEO Tim Cook, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson pointed to claims from the Media Research Center, a right-leaning media watchdog, which alleged that right-leaning outlets were effectively shut out of visibility. According to the report cited in the letter, conservative-leaning publishers did not appear among the top 20 articles featured in the Apple News feed, raising questions about whether Apple’s news curation is neutral, transparent, and consistent with what users expect.
Ferguson wrote that the allegations “raise serious questions” about whether Apple News is following its own terms of service and whether the app’s presentation to consumers matches what it actually delivers. While acknowledging that the FTC cannot force Apple to take any political or ideological position in how it organizes news content, Ferguson emphasized that the agency can scrutinize business practices that may be misleading. If Apple’s content-curation approach is inconsistent with its stated policies or with the “reasonable expectations of consumers,” he suggested it could potentially violate the FTC Act.
The issue also drew support from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who aligned himself with Ferguson’s position and argued that Apple should not suppress conservative viewpoints in a way that could run afoul of consumer-protection laws.
Ferguson is urging Apple to carry out a “comprehensive review” of its Apple News terms and policies, confirm that curated content aligns with those rules, and move quickly to correct any inconsistencies. The message from regulators is clear: Apple can curate, but it must do so in a manner that matches its stated standards and does not mislead users about how the feed is assembled.
The timing is notable. The letter arrived a day after President Donald Trump shared the Media Research Center’s claims on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump has repeatedly accused major technology companies of censoring right-leaning content, even as many large platforms have scaled back certain misinformation and content-moderation measures that were more prominent in prior years.
Apple’s broader relationship with the Trump administration has shifted over the past year, moving between tension and cooperation. Trump previously criticized Apple and other major tech firms over overseas manufacturing, particularly in China. More recently, the tone has softened after Cook pledged that Apple would invest more than $600 billion in the United States over the next four years, which helped improve relations. Apple also avoided planned tariffs that would have affected smartphones manufactured abroad and imported into the U.S.
The FTC’s scrutiny of alleged political censorship by tech companies is not new. Last year, the agency opened an inquiry into what it described as “censorship by tech platforms,” asking members of the public to submit experiences of being silenced based on political ideology or affiliation. At the time, Ferguson said tech companies should not “bully” users and framed the investigation as a way to determine whether any firms crossed legal lines by “silencing and intimidating Americans for speaking their minds.”
Apple has not publicly responded to Ferguson’s letter, and the company did not immediately comment on the latest allegations. As regulators push for clarity and consistency, Apple News now faces intensified attention over how it selects and ranks stories—and whether its practices match the promises it makes to the public.
