Tim Cook clarifies removal of podcasts by Alex Jones

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that the decision to remove the "Infowars" podcasts by US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from App Store was not part of a coordinated attempt by multiple Silicon Valley companies to de-platform Jones and deny him a voice, the media reported.

"I've never even had a conversation about Alex Jones with any other tech companies," The Verge quoted Cook as saying in an interview with Vice News Tonight on Tuesday.

Several tech giants including Google-owned YouTube, Apple, Facebook, Spotify and Twitter have either removed or restricted Jones' activities on their platforms for promoting hate speech.

"We make our decisions independently and I think that's important. Honestly. I've had no conversation. And to my knowledge, no one at Apple has," Cook added.

Jones is a controversial American radio show host who runs the website Infowars.com that is devoted to conspiracy theories and content containing abusive language to describe people who are transgenders, Muslims and immigrants.

(With inputs from agencies.)