Apple is being sued because it has failed to remove the encrypted messaging app Telegram from the App Store like it has done recently with Parler for iPhone.
The Coalition for a Safer Web (CSW) thinks Apple should be treating Telegram like it did Parler, which was recently yanked out of the App Store over violent content and hate groups. AppleInsider points to a lawsuit filed with the US District Court for the Northern District of California charging Apple with allowing Telegram to remain available for download.
Legal Actions to De-platform Telegram
Filed by Ambassador Marc Ginsberg and CSW, the lawsuit accuses Apple of knowing that Telegram has been used to "intimidate, threaten, and coerce members of the public." The filing claims that the app is being used to "coordinate and incite extreme violence" ahead of Joe Biden's presidential inauguration. "Some users have called on followers to abandon plans for a second protest in Washington in favor of surprise attacks nationwide," it reads.
Plaintiffs blame Apple for not taking any action against Telegram "comparable to the action it has taken against Parler". The filing reminds us that Apple wasted no time in removing Fortnite from the App Store over violation of its guidelines.
All told, plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages along with an injunction that would remove Telegram from the App Store until the app has complied with Apple's rules.
A Difficult Problem to Crack
In July 2020, CSW said that Telegram has been especially popular with Neo-Nazi and white nationalist groups who have used the software to sow misinformation and racial division in the US and Europe. Ginsberg even wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook to ask for the permanent removal of Telegram from the App Store due to its role in "inciting extremist violence."
Apple has previously removed Telegram several times over various issues. That said, we feel CSW should find better ways to compel Telegram to improve its content moderation policies instead of suing companies like Apple.