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Newspaper groups warn Apple about ad blocking plans
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British journalism groups have warned Apple that any move to impose a tool called a “web eraser” to block ads would put the financial sustainability of journalism at risk.
Apple is preparing to include an AI-based privacy feature in the Safari browser in the upcoming iOS 18 software update that will remove ads or other unwanted content from websites, according to reports.
In a letter sent on Friday to Apple’s head of government affairs in the UK, the News Media Association, which represents 900 national, regional and local titles, raised concerns about how this would affect digital revenues in the industry.
The letter, seen by the Financial Times, states that professional journalism needs funding “and advertising is a key source of income for many publishers”. NMA members include The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.
Online platforms, such as web browsers and social networks, are important ways for the public to access journalism, argues the NMA, but also for publishers to “monetize their content in the digital market”.
The prospect of automatic online ad blocking has caused considerable alarm among publishers, who are already facing a squeeze on revenues due to separate moves by tech groups that have restricted news traffic and a broader slowdown in spending in many parts of the market. . Apple declined to comment.
The NMA letter states that “ad blocking is a blunt instrument that frustrates the ability of content creators to fund their work sustainably and can cause consumers to miss out on important information that would otherwise have been available to them. been very helpful.”
Serious questions about editorial responsibility would also be raised, the letter said, if AI tools were used to selectively remove or alter content from articles. It called for a meeting between publishers and Apple to discuss the potential implications of the web eraser.
Media groups have struggled in recent years after the large technology groups they rely on to broadcast their news and content made it harder to make money.
Apple’s attempts to position itself as a guardian of its customers’ privacy in recent years have come at a cost to a wide range of companies that rely on data to target ads, from Meta to local newspapers.
A 2021 software update introduced an Apple feature called App Tracking Transparency, which prohibited apps and advertisers from collecting data about iPhone users without their explicit consent.
Most users refused to grant permission, and Apple strengthened its privacy protections in subsequent iOS updates, including additional restrictions on device fingerprinting and email tracking.
Google threatened to follow Apple in blocking third-party cookies used by advertisers to reach targeted audiences – a move that has since been delayed due to regulatory concerns.
Meta decided last year to reduce news on Facebook, including cutting news and Facebook Instant Articles in Europe, which throttled traffic to media groups. It also ended a scheme to fund local journalism in the UK.
These measures led to a drop in digital revenues for many journalistic groups. Many media executives are especially angry that social media platforms have used free newspaper content to help build their audiences.