UK tells Apple its 'web eraser' risk journalism's future

Following AppleInsider's discovery that Safari will add the ability to selectively turn off online ads, UK newspaper groups have complained to Apple.

The Safari feature AppleInsider uncovered in April 2024 will mean users can elect to automatically remove certain parts of web pages, most likely adverts. It's expected that the feature will be released as part of iOS 18, and it will be part of Apple's AI announcements at WWDC.

According to the Financial Times, news of this feature has prompted the UK's News Media Association to complain. While the Financial Times says that a letter has been sent to Apple's government affairs chief in the UK, about this feature's threat to the future of journalism.

The News Media Association's letter reportedly said that "ad-blocking is a blunt instrument, which frustrates the ability of content creators to sustainably fund their work." It says that journalism could become unsustainable, and that it also raises questions of editorial accountability.

The organization wants to meet with Apple to discuss the feature. Apple has not yet publicly responded.

However, before any sign of this web erasing feature, there are signs of failing editorial accountability. News Media Association does not list what publications are members, although the Financial Times says the membership includes tabloid titles such as The Sun and the Daily Mail.

The Financial Times itself is not a member. The publication also doesn't list the correct job title for the Apple UK person written to, which a quick LinkedIn search shows was presumably Emma Haselhurst, Head of UK Government Affairs, Apple.

19 Comments

gatorguy 24603 comments · 13 Years

About 6 months ago

They may have to do what Google has done with a similar effort: simplifying a search result pointing to a media article by removing adverts is (supposedly) only done with a website owner's permission. An original content provider has the right to monetize their content, and I doubt Apple would disagree.

brianjo 54 comments · 3 Years

gatorguy said:

They may have to do what Google has done with a similar effort: simplifying a search result pointing to a media article by removing adverts is (supposedly) only done with a website owner's permission. An original content provider has the right to monetize their content, and I doubt Apple would disagree.

Apple only agrees if they get a 30% cut of the profits.

beowulfschmidt 2345 comments · 12 Years

AppleInsider said:

The News Media Association's letter reportedly said that "ad-blocking is a blunt instrument, which frustrates the ability of content creators to sustainably fund their work."

Oh no!

Anyway...

Maybe if ad producers weren't such sneaky, greedy, Scheißköpfe, we wouldn't feel so compelled to erase their ads.

auxio 2762 comments · 19 Years

gatorguy said:

They may have to do what Google has done with a similar effort: simplifying a search result pointing to a media article by removing adverts is (supposedly) only done with a website owner's permission. An original content provider has the right to monetize their content, and I doubt Apple would disagree.

I don't have a problem with ads, it's all the tracking which is done via those ads I have a problem with. When I watch an ad on traditional television, it's not like it places something in my house which monitors what I do after the ad is over. But when an ad is shown in my browser, it can then use a tracker to follow me everywhere I go after that point while browsing. Thankfully browser makers have curtailed this recently, but I'm sure advertisers have found ways around it.

brianjo said:

gatorguy said:

They may have to do what Google has done with a similar effort: simplifying a search result pointing to a media article by removing adverts is (supposedly) only done with a website owner's permission. An original content provider has the right to monetize their content, and I doubt Apple would disagree.

Apple only agrees if they get a 30% cut of the profits.

And I only agree if the media sources and their affiliates are upfront about what information they're collecting and who they're collecting it for.