FTC Warns Apple Over Alleged Political Bias in Apple News

The Federal Trade Commission has sent a formal warning letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook saying that Apple News could be violating the FTC Act if reports are accurate that its curation system systematically boosts left‑leaning outlets and excludes right‑leaning sources. Citing a January content study by the conservative Media Research Center, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson noted that more than 400 of roughly 600 sampled Apple News stories came from outlets rated left‑of‑center by AllSides, while no right‑leaning outlets appeared in the feeds analyzed. Ferguson warned that ranking or suppressing news based on perceived ideology, without clearly disclosing that practice, may amount to an unfair or deceptive practice if it materially misleads consumers about what they are getting from the app. He asked Apple to review how Apple News selects stories and to 'take corrective action swiftly' if it is excluding conservative sources, while stressing that the FTC is not empowered to dictate political viewpoints but must police misrepresentations and omissions in speech‑related products. Apple did not respond to CBS’s request for comment, and the letter stops short of launching a formal enforcement action but signals heightened federal scrutiny of algorithmic news curation in an election cycle where claims of platform bias are already politically explosive.