Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed the company is taking a strong response to the white supremacy-associated violence on display in Charlottesville, USA over the weekend, and unlike President Donald Trump, he went on to make an unequivocal call about who was in the wrong.
“I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights,” writes Cook.
According to him, equal treatment of all people is fundamental to his own morality and that of Apple, which is expressed through its products and actions.
He revealed that Apple will make $2 million of donations to civil rights groups working to fight white supremacism such as that on display in Charlottesville, and it will furthermore match employee donations to similar causes on a two-for-one basis. There will soon also be an option added to iTunes for Apple users to contribute to supporting one of Apple’s chosen organizations, the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Furthermore, Apple Pay has ceased accepting payments on websites selling white supremacist and Nazi gear.
This means websites that peddle in “White Pride” t-shirts and accessories with Nazi logos can no longer process payments through Apple Pay.
The websites, including AmericanVikings.com and VinlandClothing.com (the third site, called Behold Barbarity, has already gone offline), were found to be in violation of Apple’s “acceptable use guidelines.” Those rules prohibit use of Apple Pay in a way that promotes “hate, violence, or intolerance based on race, age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.” The owner of AmericanVikings, a “pro-white” man named Brien James, told BuzzFeed he was unaware of the Apple Pay integration in the first place and didn’t seem too upset with the decision.
