British newspaper groups have warned Apple that any move to impose an ‘ad eraser’ tool to block advertisements would put the journalism profession at financial risk.
It comes as Apple is preparing to include an AI-based privacy feature in its next update which will remove ads or unwanted web content.
According to reports in the Financial Times, the the News Media Association (NMA) – which represents 900 national and regional titles – wrote to Apple’s government affairs chief, raising concerns about how such a move would impact digital revenues in the industry.
Signees of the letter include The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph.
In the letter, the NMA highlighted that professional journalism requires funding and that “advertising is a key revenue stream for many publishers”.
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It also expressed concerns about the risk of AI impacting editorial accountability, if the tools could change the content of articles.
According to the FT’s report, the NMA has called for a meeting between the publishers and Apple to discuss the potential implications of the updates.
Music streaming app Spotify has also lashed out at Apple over the changes, sharing an advert which featured a statement saying Apple was “stopping” the service from sharing its full deals.
Google is also set to clamp down on cookies amid privacy concerns, although has delayed the phase out until next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has expressed concerns around ensuring that Google does not adjust its privacy approach in a way that favours its own products over others.
