Recently, Apple pulled customer reviews from their online store. To me it isn't a huge deal. The internet is full of opinions on things, particularly Apple’s products, and it’s fairly simple to be able to find other reviews. (The trustworthiness of those reviews is a whole other can of worms.)

But Boing Boing spun it completely disingenuously with the headline, "Apple doesn’t want to hear what you think about their stuff anymore.” The argument there is:

Apple pulled reviews.
Thus, Apple doesn't want to be transparent with people.
This is probably somehow a free speech thing or something.

But it’s trash, because here’s the thing: reviews in a lot of places – including hashtag-ads on social media – are bought and paid for. Companies provide products, people write about them and toss in a tiny disclaimer in a review, and there you go. While I stated it’s easier to find other reviews on the internet, good luck finding a bunch that aren’t spammy as hell. It’s a mess. In any event, every company moderates their on-site reviews; it’s just a cost of doing business, and it’s foolish to think that Apple is providing some kind of free forum. Apple is a company, not a charitable organization.

Apple’s move is only hostile or opaque if you believe that reviews are the only way people can share an opinion or experience with their stuff.