FTC Investigates Alleged Bias in Apple News, Study Questioned as Basis for Warning to Apple

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson (photo: x @Coreandor)

JAKARTA - The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has highlighted Apple News after a study accused the news aggregator app of only highlighting left-leaning media. The study was then used as a basis by the Chairman of the FTC, Andrew Ferguson, who was appointed during the era of US President Donald Trump, to send a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

In his letter, Ferguson warned of a possible violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or misleading practices, including the representation or omission of material facts. His argument, Apple claims neutrality in its terms of service, but the study is considered to show editorial bias.

The study that became the reference was carried out by the Media Research Center (MRC) organization, which calls itself a watchdog for free speech and censorship. They monitor Apple News every day during January at 08.30 or 10.30 am, then note which media appears in the main news slot.

The results claimed to show hundreds of news from left-leaning media and none from right-leaning media. However, the methodology of the study is questionable. MRC uses the AllSides Media Bias Chart to classify media, but also cites outlets such as Breitbart and The Gateway Pundit, which actually do not publish content on Apple News.

In addition, the sampling time is considered narrow. If news from conservative media is published in the afternoon or evening, morning observations have the potential to miss it. In a separate search, it was found that Apple News also displays content from Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, which in its opinion section is categorized as leaning to the right.

Apple News itself is an aggregator application that combines human editor curation and algorithms. In addition to the Top Stories and Spotlight sections, users can also customize the feed through personal preferences, like or dislike, block certain channels, and limit Apple editorial content through settings.

The January study period also took place in a politically sensitive context in the United States, including the commemoration of the January 6 event and the immigration policy controversy. The dynamics of the issue at that time could affect the composition of news deemed relevant by the editorial team.

Until now, it is unclear whether the FTC actually has jurisdiction to regulate editorial curation decisions in news apps owned by technology companies. The potential for an investigation or lawsuit is still speculative.

On the other hand, Apple does not force users to use Apple News. The application can be deleted, and users are free to choose other news aggregators on the App Store. This dispute ultimately has the potential to test the limits between consumer protection regulations and editorial freedom on digital platforms.