Apple News alters users to 'personalized’ voting guide that appears heavy on liberal sources

Apple iPhone users in the U.S. were urged Tuesday to vote in the midterms after consulting what appeared to be just left-wing media sites, says American conservative social media activist Robby Starbuck. 

Starbuck posted the news push alert which reads: "Don't miss your chace to vote in the midterms. This personalized guide has all of the information you need" – on his X account. 

He wrote along with the alert: "This just got pushed to iPhones all over America and I tested it out. Under every zip code I tried, it ended up linking me to articles and media outlets that felt heavily biased in favor of Democrats. Did you get it and did it show you biased sources too?"

Starbuck, now a visiting fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, appeared in the post to question whether the recommended resources were personalized for the subscriber based on algorithms. 

The Federal posted a story Thursday that looked further into the recommended resources and found that after clicking on the alert, users were taken to a page with a “How to vote” tab offering a “personalized guide to casting your ballot.” Users can enter their zip code to find coverage of the elections happening in their area.

For several zip codes in battleground areas, the featured coverage highlights Democrat candidates’ accomplishments and opportunities to make history. Meanwhile, Republican candidates are often framed around their association to President Donald Trump and proposed election safeguards are framed as needless, The Federal reports.