Brit publishers beg Apple not to hurt online ad revenue
- Reference: 1715671573
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/05/14/uk_newspaper_apple/
- Source link:
The iGiant [1]is reported to be preparing to introduce an AI-powered privacy tool in its Safari browser called Web Eraser as part of its forthcoming iOS 18 update. The browser tool is supposed to provide users with a way to remove unwanted portions of web pages – whether those are ads or other content.
The NMA
[2]membership PDF
argues that further enabling ad blocking will harm journalism, which already is feeling the [3]impact of social media platforms [4]de-emphasizing news distribution.[5]
The May 10 letter, addressed to Apple's head of UK government affairs Emma Haselhurst, notes that professional journalism requires funding, and that advertising revenue is a major revenue stream for many publishers.
[6]
[7]
"Ad blocking is however a blunt instrument which frustrates the ability of content creators to sustainably fund their work and could lead to consumers missing important information which would otherwise have been very useful to them," the letter argues.
"In addition to this, the use of AI in the reported new 'Web Eraser' tool from Apple could also raise serious questions over editorial accountability, as AI tools selectively remove or change the content of articles, and the context around them."
[8]
The letter asks Apple to consult with the NMA and notes that the organization is already talking to UK lawmakers about the pending Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill.
Apple, which has been [9]building its own advertising business, did not respond to a request for comment. The biz doesn't get a cut of web advertising and thus may be less concerned about ad blocking than revenue flow on iOS apps.
Since at least 2017, Cupertino has offered a similar mode in mobile Safari called "Reader." And it has actively pitched the technology as a way to [10]hide ads : "You can use Safari Reader to view a web page article in one page, formatted for easy reading, and presented without ads, navigation, or other distracting items. You can adjust font, font size, and background color for Reader."
[11]Majority of Americans now use ad blockers
[12]YouTube sabotages ad-blocking apps that stream its vids
[13]Firefox slow to load YouTube? Just another front in Google's war on ad blockers
[14]What's really going on with Chrome's June crackdown on extensions – and why your ad blocker may or may not work
At the time, the Columbia Journalism Review [15]observed that if Apple devices default to this mode, publishers will be unable to customize what readers see, get analytics beyond page views and read time, or generate ad revenue.
The CJR also claimed that "unlike ad blockers, publishers are unable to check whether a user’s device is running in reader mode." But documentation on MDN suggests that Reader Mode [16]can be detected . Mozilla's Firefox offers a similar feature called [17]Reader View .
[18]
Various browser extensions provide similar web page altering capabilities, though these tend to be less comprehensive on iOS than macOS or other desktop operating systems. While they [19]are popular , they haven't entirely killed online journalism. Yet.
In 2021 Cupertino introduced another privacy feature called App Tracking Transparency that limited tracking in native iOS apps. According to a 2023 [20]paper [PDF] from researchers based in Germany titled "Economic Impact of Opt-in versus Opt-out Requirements for Personal Data Usage: The Case of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT)," the privacy technology led to "a 21 percent fall in ad revenue from Apple users for publishers."
Web ad revenue may also suffer as a result of AI integration with search, which IT consultancy Gartner [21]expects will reduce search volume by 25 percent by 2026. ®
Get our [22]Tech Resources
[1] https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/04/30/apple-to-unveil-ai-enabled-safari-browser-alongside-new-operating-systems
[2] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/227100/The-News-Media-Association-NMA.pdf
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/19/technology/news-social-media-traffic.html
[4] https://about.fb.com/news/2024/02/update-on-facebook-news-us-australia/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZkM2Qhcu22yZfvU05E3rCAAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZkM2Qhcu22yZfvU05E3rCAAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZkM2Qhcu22yZfvU05E3rCAAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZkM2Qhcu22yZfvU05E3rCAAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.emarketer.com/content/apple-new-ad-product-pushes-closer-google
[10] https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/hide-ads-and-distractions-iphdc30e3b86/ios
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/27/america_ad_blocker/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/16/youtube_ad_blocking/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/21/ad_block_google/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/18/google_kills_legacy_extensions/
[15] https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/ios-11-news.php
[16] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/API/tabs/toggleReaderMode
[17] https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-reader-view-clutter-free-web-pages
[18] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZkM2Qhcu22yZfvU05E3rCAAAAFg&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/27/america_ad_blocker/
[20] https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/3-Skiera-Economic-Impact-of-Opt-in-versus-Opt-out-Requirements-for-Personal-Data-Usage.pdf
[21] https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-02-19-gartner-predicts-search-engine-volume-will-drop-25-percent-by-2026-due-to-ai-chatbots-and-other-virtual-agents
[22] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Fuck off
There is no god given right for publishers to punt ads.
If I had any trust in Apple I would be all over this idea like a rash. However, I don't. This is nothing to do with Apple users and everything to do with *Apple* getting the money.
"Meet the new boss .... same as the old boss !"
Re: Fuck off
"There is no god given right for publishers"
There is no god given right for publishers to publish content for you to read, either. We, collectively as a society, voted with our feet for an ad-supported funding model. This might break that. So the outcome might be everything paywalled, with prices for paywalls rising and a lot of stuff disappearing. (Will this make for a better world - discuss.)
banning mobile phones for under-16s, which is unmatched in stupidity
There are various bans around the same age group, e.g. alcolhol, to some extent, sex, smoking, driving, possibly others. OK, voting is not banned because it's 'dangerous' to that age group as such, but ease of manipulation would have disastrous social consequences. Perhaps. I can't see any key difference between these bans and a ban on mobiles. Whether it's feasible or desirable (economy might collapse ;) is a different matter.
Re: banning mobile phones for under-16s, which is unmatched in stupidity
If you think a 16 year old is more easily manipulated than a 50 year old, you have not been paying attention to what's been going on in Newscorp / Fox for the last few decades...
Will AI be able to stop noxious ads ?
ie those that annoy people or slow the browser down.
I am OK with discrete ads that do not get in the way but hate things that: auto play video/sound; generate popups; obscure what I came to read; ...
This AI might be a good thing if it stops abusive ads and everyone might win.
Re: Will AI be able to stop noxious ads ?
run your own DNS. Problem solved :-)
Re: Will AI be able to stop noxious ads ?
Mmm, I don't miss the days when opening a new web page would cause the CPU fan to go from zero to hurricane force just like that.
Bring back directly purchased ads
If it seemed like the journalists cared about what ads were displayed and didn't just stick ad boxes from major ad services then I'd be more inclined to allow them.
It would probably work better for the advertised product/company too with the potential customer knowing that they are being targeted by an actual person instead of an algorithm. Also, knowing that their advert won't appear next to something which would be damaging to be associated with.
Anyone who has the misfortune to visit a website operated by Trinity Mirror Reach PLC group, will know that this tool from Apple can only be a GOOD thing.