Hackers' Pub

Syntax	Description	Examples
`"` keyword `"`	Finds the string within quotes, including spaces. Case-insensitive. (Escape quotes inside with `\"`)	`"Hackers' Pub"`
`from:` handle	Finds content written by the specified user.	`from:hongminhee` `from:hongminhee@hollo.social`
`lang:` ISO 639-1	Finds content written in the specified language.	`lang:en`
`#` tag	Finds content with the specified tag. Case-insensitive.	`#HackersPub`
condition condition	Finds content that satisfies both conditions on either side of the space (logical AND).	`"Hackers' Pub" lang:en`
condition `OR` condition	Finds content that satisfies at least one of the conditions on either side of the OR operator (logical OR).	`#HackersPub OR "Hackers' Pub" lang:en`
`(` condition `)`	Combines the operators within the parentheses first.	`(#HackersPub OR "Hackers' Pub" OR "Hackers Pub") lang:en`

Steve Streza @stevestreza@indieweb.social

5/1/2025, 2:37:21 AM

Public

Schiller got dinged a little over trying to cover for the fact that Apple's link-out design rules made people use tiny text links rather than buttons, but the court has documents pretty explicitly showing that this was all meant to stifle developers from linking out effectively.

Understanding that developers use visually prominent buttons to attract users to click on a link (as recommended by Apple in other contexts), Apple’s own witness Mr. Fischer testified that he could think of no other reason to require developers to use a plain-link-style “button” other than to stifle competition.38

Mr. Schiller, who sat through both sets of evidentiary hearings, attempted to reverse course on this admission, claiming that Apple required the plain-link-style button so that the external link would look like hyperlinks or other internet links that consumers are used to seeing, along with a link-out icon, which Apple also refers to as a “button”. (Feb. 2025 Tr. 1166:15-1167:14 (Schiller).)39 Yet, Apple prohibits developers from using what their consumers would expect to see as an actual “button.” (May 2024 Tr. 82:18–23 (Fischer); see also Feb. 2025 Tr. 1531:4– 1533:24 (Oliver).) At the end of the day, Apple’s internal documents reflect the underlying motivation to stifle competition by cabining developers’ ability to attract users to alternate payment methods: “How much can we limit what devs do with the text and links?” (CX-1104.2 (notes of June 1, 2023 meeting).)

The Court notes here that while, generally speaking, Mr. Schiller provided some credible testimony, he was in the courtroom to hear everyone testify. Thus, when he testified and attempted to rehabilitate the record, he is less credible and the Court discounts that testimony.

Steve Streza @stevestreza@indieweb.social

5/1/2025, 2:50:51 AM

Public

The court found a bunch of Slack messages from Apple employees trying to make the link-out warning screen as "scary" as possible "so execs will love it". Tim Cook was directly involved in this design.

Image of the "scare sheet" Apple shows when linking out, as shown in the court filing.

Giant bold text: "You're about to go to an external website. Apple is not responsible for the privacy or security of purchases made on the web."

"Any accounts or purchases made outside of this app will be managed by the developer "Example." Your App Store account, stored payment method, and related features, such as subscription management and refund requests, will not be available. Apple can't verify any pricing or promotions offered by the developer. Learn more, continue, or cancel."

In Slack communications dated November 16, 2021, the Apple employees crafting the warning screen for Project Michigan discussed how best to frame its language. (CX-206.) Mr. Onak suggested the warning screen should include the language: “By continuing on the web, you will leave the app and be taken to an external website” because “‘external website’ sounds scary, so execs will love it.” (Id. at .2.) From Mr. Onak’s perspective, of the “execs” on the project, Mr. Schiller was at the top. (Feb. 2025 Tr. 1340:4–6 (Onak).) One employee further wrote, “to make your version even worse you could add the developer name rather than the app name.” (CX-206.4.) To that, another responded “ooh - keep going.” (Id.)

Again, Apple decided on the most anticompetitive option, that is, the “even worse” option of including the developer’s name rather than the app name (Primary and Overarching Finding No. 4). (Feb. 2025 Tr. 1343:23–1344:1 (Onak); CX-3.5.) All of this was hidden from the Court and not revealed in the May 2024 evidentiary hearings.

After the June 20, 2023 meeting regarding this Court’s Injunction, Apple decided that it would implement a full screen warning after users click on an external link, regardless of which commission option was ultimately selected. At the meeting, Mr. Cook “asked the team to revise the customer warning screen .. to reference the fact that Apple’s privacy and security standards do not apply to purchases made on the web.” The team updated the warning screen, sent it to Mr. Schiller for approval, and returned the revised copy to Mr. Cook on June 23, 2023. The updated warning screen changed a sentence from “You will no longer be transacting with Apple” to “Apple is not responsible for the privacy or security of purchases made on the web.” As Ms. Goldberg’s notes reflect, the idea discussed was that this “[i]nterstitial . . . tells ppl its dangerous and they are leaving the app store.”

The presentation for the June 28, 2023 meeting reflects Mr. Cook’s revision (“Tim, based on your feedback, here is the System disclosure sheet with the updated copy on the right.”), and is included in the final version of the warning screen that Apple adopted. This “system disclosure sheet” pops up for every single user that clicks on an external link, and for every single instance that a user clicks on any external link, not just the first time. Further, these chilled consumer conduct, especially given the use of other informative “warning screens,” like those asking to track a user’s activity acros…

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