Apple: Why this new Safari feature has the media screaming

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Imagine a Safari that can make ads, pop-ups, and other distractions disappear with a single click. That's exactly what Apple is offering with Distraction Control. This feature, spotted in the latest beta versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia, allows users to customize their browsing experience like never before.

The principle is simple: on any web page, the user can choose to hide the elements they deem unwanted. Promotional banners, pop-ups, newsletter subscription requests… All of these can potentially disappear. Once activated, the feature remembers these choices for future visits to the site.

This new feature, if it were to be deployed on a large scale, could have major consequences for the web industry. Online media, already weakened by years of upheaval and the arrival of AI, risk being the first to be affected.

Why? Because advertising remains one of the sources of revenue for many news sites. If users can easily block these ads, an entire economic model is under threat.

Ad blockers have been around for a long time, of course. But integrating such a feature directly into the browser, and in such an intuitive way, is a new milestone.

Publishers on the warpath

We can already imagine the outcry from publishers. Some will probably accuse Apple of wanting to suffocate the online press. Others will see it as yet another attempt by the brand to impose its vision of the web.

Apple is used to shaking up the codes. The firm recently proved this again with its stance on privacy, which shook the advertising industry.

With Distraction Control, Apple seems to want to go even further. The company isn't just blocking ad tracking, it's giving users the power to shape their entire browsing experience.

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This approach is in line with Apple's philosophy: putting the user at the center and giving them maximum control over their devices. But it also raises serious ethical and economic questions.

How will websites adapt if a significant portion of their audience decides to hide their ads?? Some might be tempted to increase the number of paywalls, which would make access to information even more difficult for part of the population.

Other voices will undoubtedly be raised to point the finger at Apple's responsibility. By giving users the means to so easily circumvent the economic model of websites, is the company not playing a dangerous game? hear that she strives every day to support her partners.

A feature doomed to disappear ?

The good news for publishers ? Distraction Control is currently only in the testing phase. Nothing says that it will be deployed as is in the final version of Apple's operating systems. The company could very well decide to review its copy in the face of criticism, or even remove this functionality.

Furthermore, not all elements can be hidden. Dynamically integrated advertisements, for example, escape Distraction Control. Websites will therefore undoubtedly have ways to adapt.< /p>

Finally, and most importantly, Safari only represents 20% market share worldwide.With nearly 65% ​​market share, Google Chrome remains the most widely used browser in the world, across all devices. More than the consequences, it is undoubtedly Apple's approach that is causing controversy.

• Apple is testing a Safari function to easily hide ads and pop-ups
• Many media outlets fear for their advertising-based business model
• This innovation could force the industry to rethink web monetization

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