As hate and misinformation run rampant on technology platforms, Tim Cook is making it clear where Apple stands. The CEO this week said “hate, violence and division” have no place in the Apple picture and disavowed white supremacy outright, per The Hill.
Cook made the statement during his keynote speech at a Monday evening Anti-Defamation League meeting, where he received the ADL’s first “Courage Against Hate” award. It’s meant for sector leaders, like Cook, dedicated to fighting bigotry.
In his speech, Cook was explicit about Apple’s opinions on hate (per The Verge):
At Apple, we believe technology needs to have a clear point of view. This is no time to get tied up in knots. We only have one message for those who seek to push hate, division or violence: You have no place on our platforms. You have no home here. From the earliest days of iTunes to Apple Music today we have always prohibited music with a history of white supremacy. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. And as we showed this year, we won’t give a platform to violent conspiracy theorists. Why? Because it’s the right things to do.
This statement is made in stark comparison to criticism against Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even Tumblr, which have all stumbled or outright ignored hate speech issues. While many of those sites essentially encourage the problem, Cook makes a point to say his company is working towards a more inclusive, hopeful world. Apple was one of the first to ban dangerous conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars show. Though it was long overdue, that move caused several platforms to follow suit.
With luck, this most recent statement from Cook will inspire more aggressive regulations of the spread of bigotry online.
“My friends,” Cook said, “if we can’t be clear on moral questions like these then we’ve got big problems.”