Closed-platform control and tax avoidance mark Apple’s imperial posture

Evidence

Such a degree of control is seen as authoritarian by some and as the epitome of good design by others. Regardless, this stance allows Apple to distinguish itself from its competitors by, for instance, building ad blockers right into its Safari web browser or claiming that they do not sell any of the data they collect from users. Even if this is the case, Apple must take some responsibility for the labor conditions under which its devices are manufactured, for its collusion with the media industry in ways that are not favorable to consumers, or for its innovative ways to avoid paying taxes: the company pays 9.8 percent in taxes, whereas global corporations typically pay around 24 percent. — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, 189

Categorization

• XREF: The claim that Apple’s data-privacy posture coexists with extraction elsewhere mirrors the reader’s attention to platform power’s dual faces. — connects to: Tech companies evade taxes easily because they move only intellectual property — Nick Srnicek, Platform Capitalism, 35; Early web communities saw Apple as ideologically aligned with openness — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 134; Apple’s privacy-friendly claims coexist with tax avoidance and poor labor conditions — Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection: How Data Is…, 189 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Tech companies evade taxes easily because they move only intellectual property #corroborates (0.85) — Nick Srnicek, Platform Capitalism, 35