Overview
- FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson sent a Feb. 11 letter urging Tim Cook to review Apple News and take corrective action if curation practices conflict with Apple’s terms or what users reasonably expect.
- A Media Research Center analysis of January’s 620 featured stories found 440 from outlets rated left-leaning, 180 centrist, and none from right-leaning sources, using AllSides bias ratings.
- Apple has said the app aggregates content from more than 3,000 publications, including Fox News and the New York Post, and that users can follow or block specific outlets and topics.
- Ferguson emphasized that the agency is not the “speech police” but can act on material misrepresentations or unfair practices in speech-related products under Section 5.
- Public attention intensified after President Trump shared coverage of the MRC report, but Apple has not announced changes and the FTC has not launched a formal enforcement action.