US FTC chair asks Tim Cook to review Apple News' ToS and curation, citing allegations that it promotes “left-wing” outlets and suppresses conservative sources

US regulator issues warning to iPhone maker about its News platform following controversy over Super Bowl half-time show

Financial Times 2026-02-12 Michael Acton

Context & Ripple Effects

Apple has faced US scrutiny before over claims that it disadvantaged rival music-streaming services in the App Store, including an earlier FTC look at Apple’s treatment of rival streaming services. The new request shifts the focus from platform access to the rules and editorial choices governing Apple News.

It also adds a politically charged dimension to a wider record of pressure on Apple’s dealings with regulators; related coverage has characterized US and European antitrust action as increasingly difficult for Apple to avoid.

First-order effects

Apple and Tim Cook must now assess whether Apple News’ terms and curation practices can be defended against the allegations raised by the FTC chair, even though the reported request is not itself a finding of wrongdoing.
Publishers whose distribution is shaped by Apple News gain a clearer regulatory channel through which to challenge or scrutinize the platform’s selection and ranking practices.

Second-order effects

The request raises the value of documented, consistently applied curation criteria: changes to Apple News policies or disclosures could affect how publishers optimize for visibility on the service.
Other large platforms that combine distribution with editorial or ranking decisions may face similar demands to distinguish product curation from viewpoint-based treatment.

Third-order effects

If such requests develop into sustained oversight, platform governance could be examined not only through competition and consumer-harm frameworks but also through claims of political neutrality in content distribution.
That would make transparent rules, appeal processes, and evidence for ranking decisions more consequential for curated digital services, though this report alone does not establish a broader enforcement shift.

The trend: Political-bias allegations are increasingly turning platform curation and distribution rules into a regulatory issue alongside traditional antitrust scrutiny.

Discussion

@afergusonftc Andrew Ferguson on x
Today I sent a letter to Tim Cook expressing my concerns about allegations that Apple News has, unbeknownst to its users, systematically promoted news articles from left-wing news outlets and suppressed content from conservative publications. [image]
@schneider_dc Dan Schneider on x
The Chairman of the @FTC is looking out for all Americans. It is what the FTC is supposed to do: protect consumers from deceptive practices. Well done, @AFergusonFTC
@cernovich @cernovich on x
Apple's war against America has been unrelenting. They first embraced deplarforming podcasts. Now they want to create left wing propaganda to destroy Trump! https://nypost.com/...
@brendancarrfcc Brendan Carr on x
FTC Chairman Ferguson is exactly right. 🎯 Apple has no right to suppress conservative viewpoints in violation of the FTC Act.
@marypcbuk Mary Branscombe on bluesky
Speed running the way they got Google to cave but Apple already caved [embedded post]
@bendreyfuss Ben Dreyfuss on x
Oh please. This is absurd!
@tomcottonar Tom Cotton on x
Good for @AFergusonFTC and President Trump for pushing back on this de facto censorship of conservative news outlets. If a “news” aggregator is going to only show left-wing outlets, it should be labeled that way.
@matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
Yes when everyone is mad about food and medical prices what Americans really want is the head of the Federal Trade Commission to police what's on Apple News.
@mrddmia @mrddmia on x
Cheers to @AFergusonFTC for holding accountable the trillion-dollar Big Tech monopolists—especially Apple's Tim Cook—who use their market power to crush competition, shutter small businesses, and cancel conservatives. Andrew Ferguson is Trump's very smart and effective top
@davidbozell David Bozell on x
Chairman Ferguson is asking the right question. Apple curates what millions of Americans see as “news” every single day. When one company with that kind of reach consistently sidelines certain viewpoints, that's not a minor editorial choice. That shapes the national conversation.
@adamscochran Adam Cochran on x
That's because the Conservative Publications lacked any journalistic rigor or ethical reporting standards.
@robertfreundlaw Rob Freund on x
Truly frivolous reaching here. FTC has lost the plot.
@schneider_dc Dan Schneider on x
President Trump and his admin have been excellent at restoring First Amendment free speech rights. Joe Biden's team launched a massive censorship regime that Trump quickly dismantled. Never-Trump lefties see actions like @AFergusonFTC's and ignorantly cry foul. They are wrong
@mirandadevine Miranda Devine on x
Well done to @Schneider_DC and the team at @theMRC for doing the research that led to this important development. We cannot allow AI to create a fake leftwing reality due to its inputs being only those approved by leftwing gatekeepers.
@cernovich @cernovich on x
🦅⚔️🇺🇸
@andyjungtech Andy Jung on x
The letter doesn't flag a single term of service where Apple News claims to be politically neutral. Where is the misrepresentation or omission? This is just political theater.
@greta Greta Van Susteren on x
How about a note to Tim Cook about these horrible recent ipad updates?
@franklinh3000 Franklin Harris on x
This is exactly the sort of roundabout consumer law way of violating free speech that the Trump administration complains about when it's Europe doing it. But we have a First Amendment.
@robin.berjon.com Robin Berjon on bluesky
Can we get news aggregators in scope of the DMA? What would that require? — It's very clear where market dominance comes from and leads to here. Just break it. [embedded post]
@adamthierer Adam Thierer on x
no matter what the balance of content is on Apple's platform, or how biased one might believe it to be, to suggest that DC bureaucrats should should be in charge of dictating “fairness” on private platforms is just Big Government thuggery at its worst and a massively
@tyleraking.com Tyler King on bluesky
FTC explicitly signaling it intends to punish promotion of “leftist outlets.” [embedded post]
@mims Christopher Mims on bluesky
1. Tim Cook issues first-ever guarded criticism of Trump admin over Minneapolis — 2. Apple Music sponsors Bad Bunny halftime show — 3. FTC sends stern letter to Apple about supposed bias in Apple News — www.ft.com/content/0c25...
@schwa@mastodon.social Jonathan Wight on mastodon
If only Tim Cook had sucked up to Trump more!!! — https://www.ft.com/...
@mims Christopher Mims on bluesky
“In a letter to chief executive Tim Cook, FTC chair Andrew Ferguson cited recent press coverage of a report from conservative media watchdog Media Research Center which claimed that Apple has promoted “leftist outlets” in its news feed.” — www.ft.com/content/0c25...

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