Congress probes Apple, Meta, and Musk over Trump ties, NDAs, and iOS restrictions

Congress targets tech giants over Trump ties and controversial practices

Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. are preparing a series of investigations into major tech companies, including Apple, Meta, and Elon Musk’s ventures, following a decisive election victory. The probes will focus on these companies’ relationships with the Trump administration, particularly controversial practices such as the use of Grok for a planned operation targeting Venezuela’s president and Meta’s requirement for nondisclosure agreements in data center deals. Apple’s collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on tracking apps is also under scrutiny.

The push for oversight comes after warnings from Senators Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey triggered a sharp drop in tech stocks. Markey’s remark about printing enough subpoenas to "plant new forests" signals the scale of the planned scrutiny. While tech companies have operated under minimal regulation during the Trump era, the shift in congressional power is expected to lead to stricter enforcement and policy changes.

Separately, Apple’s iOS keyboard has been revealed to restrict autocomplete and swipe-typing for tens of thousands of words and phrases across multiple languages. The list, uncovered by researcher Derik Kauffman and verified by Reuters, includes politically charged terms like "Dictator Trump," "Sleepy Joe," and "Modi braggart," as well as phrases related to sensitive geopolitical issues such as "Tibetan independence" and "occupied territories."

The restrictions are not a ban—users can still type flagged words manually—but the keyboard will not suggest them via autocomplete or swipe-typing. This has raised concerns about the keyboard’s role in shaping digital communication, particularly as it inconsistently applies rules. For example, "read smut" is allowed, while "read gay smut" is not. The list also includes slurs, drug-related terms, and other offensive language, with estimates suggesting it contains around 100,000 entries.

Apple has not explained its criteria for flagging certain terms or why some political phrases are included. The company stated its keyboard is designed to avoid "inappropriate or offensive" suggestions but did not address specific findings. Independent researchers, including Tolmo engineer Matt Suiche, have confirmed the existence of the list, which has been embedded in Apple’s operating system for years.

In a related development, Apple will begin monitoring public iCloud links starting with iOS 27.3. Only links shared under "Anyone with the Link" will be scanned, while those restricted to "People you choose" retain end-to-end encryption. Apple’s policy grants it the authority to block accounts, disable new sign-ups, or involve law enforcement for violations involving "harmful content," though the definition of such content remains unclear. No appeals process for falsely flagged accounts or content has been outlined.

Related on Lazyfounder

• Apple
• Alphabet
• OpenAI
• Anthropic
• More technology news
• OpenAI hires ex-Army Secretary and Uber exec to expand defence and enterprise AI