UK newspapers unhappy about an unannounced Safari feature that could potentially block ads

AppleInsider recently discovered that Safari will be able to allow you to selectively turn off online ads. Following the discovery, UK newspaper groups have reportedly complained to Apple about the yet-unofficial feature.

UK newspapers unhappy with a potential Safari feature in the works

The Safari feature that AppleInsider uncovered last month would allow users to remove certain parts of web pages, and it’s most likely geared towards removing ads. Reportedly, the feature will be official as a part of iOS 18 and could be announced at the upcoming WWDC.Financial Times reports that the UK’s News Media Association has sent a letter to Apple’s government affairs chief in the UK (AppleInsider suggests the letter was most likely sent to Emma Haselhurst, Head of UK Government Affairs, Apple). The letter reportedly stated that the feature could be a threat to the future of journalism and could prevent content creators from sustainably funding their work. The organization is said to have requested to meet with Apple to discuss the feature; however, Apple has yet to publicly respond.

It’s important to note that the feature is still unofficial and unconfirmed. The feature is currently dubbed Web Eraser and is reported to be powered by generative AI. We are likely to hear more AI talk during Apple’s developer conference, the WWDC, which is expected to take place from June 10, 2024, to Jun 14, 2024.