DeSantis slams Apple for allegedly threatening to remove Twitter, catering to Chinese Communist Party
Protests have erupted across China in recent weeks against the country's zero-COVID policy
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday criticized Apple for allegedly threatening to remove Twitter from its App store while reportedly preventing Chinese protesters from fully using its AirDrop feature.
DeSantis’ comments, made during a press conference in Duval County, came a day after Elon Musk alleged that Apple had "mostly" stopped advertising on Twitter and had threatened to "withhold" the social media platform from the app store.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a "Unite and Win" event as he campaigns for re-electionon the eve of the US midterm elections, at Hialeah Park Clubhouse, in Hialeah, Florida, on November 7, 2022. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP) (Phot (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
DeSantis said that congressional action might be warranted if Apple followed through on its alleged threat against Twitter after Musk reinstated previously suspended accounts.
"That would be a huge, huge mistake, and it would be a really raw exercise of monopolistic power that I think would merit a response from the United States Congress," he said. "Don’t be a vassal of the [Chinese Communist Party] on one hand and then use your corporate power in the United States on the other to suffocate Americans and try to suppress their right to express themselves."
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Protests have erupted across China in recent weeks against the country's zero-COVID policy, but citizens cannot take full advantage of their iPhones' AirDrop file-sharing feature, which has frequently been used to bypass censorship and spread information about demonstrations.
FILE: The Apple Park campus stands in this aerial photograph taken above Cupertino, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. (Sam Hall/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Under the latest software update, iOS 16.1.1, iPhone owners in China can only use AirDrop to receive files, images, and videos from other non-contacts for 10 minutes. Once that 10-minute window lapses, AirDrop shifts back to contacts only automatically.
DeSantis said the move "is obviously providing aid and comfort to the CCP."
"This zero-COVID policy is draconian, it violates people’s liberties, and it is completely unscientific. And the people of China are right to be able to speak out and protest against what the Chinese Communist Party is doing," DeSantis said at the briefing, adding: "We need these draconian COVID policies to go to the ash heap of history where they belong."
Workers at the Foxconn iPhone plant in Zhengzhou protest poor treatment and COVID-19 policies. (AP)
Last week, protests broke out at a Chinese iPhone factory in Zhengzhou. Hundreds of workers joined the protests at the flagship factory of tech manufacturer Foxconn, with some men smashing windows and surveillance cameras.
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Apple has not publicly responded to Musk’s allegations and did not respond to FOX Business' request for comment.
FOX Business' Peter Aitken and Paul Best contributed to this report.