Both Apple and Google have removed social media app Wimkin from their respective app stores as part of a growing crackdown on platforms that don’t do enough to moderate content.
Both tech companies removed Wimkin, which bills itself as an “uncensored” platform for free speech, because of content that called for violence ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. According to Wimkin founder Jason Sheppard, Apple pulled the platform because of posts related to the organization of a “Million Militia March” at the inauguration on Jan. 20.
Other posts flagged as potentially dangerous included ones that called for the arrest of Vice President Mike Pence or a second civil war.
Sheppard told The Wall Street Journal that his moderation team at Wimkin “took care” of the posts once they were reported to them. The platform founder said his moderators aren’t there to fact-check, but instead there to “keep people safe.”
The Wimkin team is adding additional moderation measures, including tools that automatically flag works like “murder” or “killing.” Apple’s App Review Board told Sheppard that those measures as they stand at present fail to satisfy its guidelines.
“I can’t fault them for looking at it,” Sheppard said of Apple’s scrutiny of the content. “I just wish they would give us a chance.”
Sheppard said he is working with Apple officials on ways that the platform can add additional security measures and return to the App Store.
Wimkin joins other platforms that have been pulled from the App Store and other services since the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. On Jan. 10, Apple pulled social media site Parler, known for its fringe and far-right user base, from the app marketplace because it didn’t meet content moderation guidelines. Google also pulled the platform, as did Amazon Web Services.
In the case of Parler, Apple pulled the app because it was used to “plan, coordinate, and facilitate” the violent events at the deadly Capitol siege. According to Apple, the platform enabled users to storm the Capitol building, which led to “loss of life, numerous injuries, and the destruction of property.”
As with Wimkin, Apple notes that Parler can return to the App Store if it implements stronger content moderation features. At present, it is not known if Google has issued similar guidance to either Wimkin or Parler.
Wimkin is still available to iOS and Android users through a web browser.