French media and ad groups urge Apple to pause Safari’s ‘Distraction Control’ rollout
A group of French trade associations, representing 800 media and ad companies, have sent an open letter to Apple CEO, Tim Cook. The letter urges Apple to pause the rollout of its new "Distraction Control" feature in Safari.
The groups' letter, per Business Insider, says this tool could disrupt websites and harm publisher revenue. They're also asking for the technical documentation on how Distraction Control works and any planned updates.
About Apple’s Distraction Control
In August, Apple introduced Distraction Control to Safari on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. It lets users hide some website elements, like sign-in windows, cookie pop-ups, and newsletter banners. Apple says the feature will minimize distractions.
What the French publishers and advertisers are saying
Apple says the feature won't permanently block ads. However, French ad and media groups report that, in tests, Distraction Control can hide all ads on a page if users choose to hide them on one part of a site. This raises concerns that Distraction Control could threaten online ads, which support much of the internet's economy.
The trade groups also believe Distraction Control could risk non-compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as users might hide consent pop-ups that websites rely on for GDPR compliance. They further warn the tool could enable “manipulation of information” by allowing users to hide editorial content produced by media outlets.
The letter's signatories include Alliance Digitale, Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale, Geste, Syndicat des Régies Internet, Union des Marques, and Udecam. The letter, copied to French ministers and the EU, says the groups are "actively considering all available legal resources" to counter the rollout. It cites data protection, IP, and competition law as potential avenues.
Previous cases between Apple and publishers
In May, these same French groups raised concerns over an early version of Distraction Control, called "Web Eraser." It lets users remove content, per Apple Insider. Following publishers' concerns, Apple renamed it Distraction Control. It updated the feature to clarify that it "would not permanently remove ads."
Apple’s recent software updates have impacted publishers and ad companies. In 2021, Apple's App Tracking Transparency forced apps to get users' consent for cross-app tracking. Many users declined. This made it tougher for publishers to monetize, according to Business Insider.
Also, Intelligent Tracking Prevention, launched in 2017, disabled third-party tracking cookies in Safari by default. This affected advertisers' cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM) rates.