tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/ios-9-19789/articlesiOS 9 – The Conversation2015-09-29T12:00:24Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/482772015-09-29T12:00:24Z2015-09-29T12:00:24ZAd industry may gripe about adblockers, but they broke the contract – not us<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/96495/original/image-20150928-30970-10x1bfa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">madpixblue/shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The latest version of Apple’s operating system for phones and tablets, iOS9, allows the <a href="http://moneyweek.com/is-ad-blocking-bringing-about-the-end-of-the-free-internet/">installation of adblocking software</a> that removes advertising, analytics and tracking within Apple’s Safari browser. While Apple’s smartphone market share is <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/2974005/phones/apple-increase-gains-market-share-despite-global-slowdown-in-smartphone-sales.html">only around 14% worldwide</a>, this has prompted another outpouring from the mobile and web advertising industry on the effects of adblockers, and discussion as to whether a “free” web can exist without adverts. </p>
<p>It’s not a straightforward question: advertising executives and publishers complain that ads fund “free” content and adblockers break this contract. Defenders of adblocking point out that the techniques used to serve ads are underhand and that the ads themselves are intrusive. Who is right?</p>
<h2>Why we use adblockers</h2>
<p>There are good reasons for using adblockers. People are usually prompted to do so by online advertising techniques that they find intrusive. These include pop-ups, pop-unders, blinking ads, being forced to watch videos before getting to the content, and ads that contravene the <a href="https://acceptableads.org/">Acceptable Ads Manifesto</a>. </p>
<p>Adverts and trackers can be loaded from multiple third-party websites, inserted into the web page by advertising networks rather than by the site’s publishers. While this saves publishers the hassle of finding advertisers and negotiating rates, it means they often have little say over what ads appear, which can lead to ads that are irrelevant, dubious, even offensive. The additional load on the browser from connecting to multiple sites at once also drains battery and bandwidth and slows down the page load – all for something we don’t want and which scours our devices to collect information about us for further use. </p>
<p>The UK’s Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) believe that <a href="http://www.iabuk.net/about/press/archive/15-of-britons-online-are-blocking-ads">15% of British adults use adblockers</a>. The IAB study found that people blocked adverts because they were intrusive (73%), ugly or annoying (55%), slowed down web browsers (54%), were irrelevant (46%), or over privacy concerns (31%). What this suggests is that users don’t reject advertising <em>per se</em>, but intrusive advertising specifically. </p>
<h2>Advertising, ethics and the web</h2>
<p>The advertising industry argues that adblockers undermine the revenue model for publishers that relies upon behaviourally targeted advertising. They claim adblockers stifle start-ups that are dependent on advertising as a means of generating revenue. The theory goes that without advertising revenue all that’s left is subscription services, something which generally only large corporations are good at building. </p>
<p>While there is some truth to this, the argument assumes that digital start-ups (whether this be an app, a new social media service, or a news website) have access to a large user base from which to generate ad revenue. But of course this isn’t the case when firms are only just getting going. Start-ups rely on investment to grow and be self-sustaining: only then can advertising assist. </p>
<p>It is reasonable to argue that content has to be paid for. We might try to ignore the adverts that subsidise printed newspapers and magazines, but we cannot remove them. However, in respect of mobile devices – which have now become the <a href="http://blog.realmatch.com/trade-publishers/mobile-usage-now-larger-than-desktop-what-does-this-mean-for-publishers/">primary means through which the world gets online</a> – we must also consider the data plan that we pay for as part of our mobile phone contract. The firm behind one mobile adblocker, Shine, estimates that <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/israeli-ad-blocker-shine-could-threaten-mobile-advertising-2015-5?r=US&IR=T">depending on where we live, ads can use up 10-50% of a user’s data allowance</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/96498/original/image-20150928-30986-1qu0ygs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/96498/original/image-20150928-30986-1qu0ygs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96498/original/image-20150928-30986-1qu0ygs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96498/original/image-20150928-30986-1qu0ygs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96498/original/image-20150928-30986-1qu0ygs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96498/original/image-20150928-30986-1qu0ygs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/96498/original/image-20150928-30986-1qu0ygs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Annoying mobile ads make for unhappy phones and users.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ronbennetts/5516621911">ronbennetts</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
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<h2>Browsers as consent mechanisms</h2>
<p>So the case for mobile is different, in that ads represent a cost to the user. Europeans living in EU member states have the right to refuse to be tracked by third parties. This comes under Article 5(3) of the <a href="https://www.ashurst.com/publication-item.aspx?id_Content=5665">EU ePrivacy Directive</a>, that in 2012 was altered so people have to be asked upfront whether they consent to cookies.</p>
<p>The aim of this was to shift third-party cookies from being opt-out to being opt-in. The ad industry argued that people’s web browser settings were sufficient to indicate consent to interest-based advertising and tracking – but of course, many people do not know how to alter browser settings. Seen in this way, adblockers are a means of expressing (or rather, denying) consent – something made clear by the need to find and install an adblocking programme or browser extension.</p>
<p>The problem with the implied contract of advertising-for-content is that it is opaque and built upon questionable terms. It’s disingenuous to blame people for using adblockers: we accept adverts in magazines, newspapers and cinemas and on radio, billboards and television. The good ones make us smile. The best we fondly remember. We mostly stick to the deal that we get content free or at reduced cost in exchange for being exposed to ads. </p>
<p>But the growth of adblocking demonstrates that parts of the advertising industry have overstepped the mark with their creepy tracking mechanisms and deliberately confusing or irritating formats. The ad industry broke the contract, not us. How does anyone think that irritating people is the way forward? Which brand, large or small, would want to be associated with annoying their customers?</p>
<p>The growing number of people using desktop and mobile adblockers leaves the online advertising industry two options: fight web users and ad-blocking firms by lobbying for legal change or protection, or the more interesting route of trying to create a model that works for everyone. Rather than fighting the tide, advertising and publishing need to find a way to swim with it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/48277/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew McStay receives funding from AHRC and ESRC. </span></em></p>Instead of arguing over whether adblocking is right or wrong, advertisers and publishers could work to make the web better.Andrew McStay, Senior Lecturer in Media Culture, Bangor UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/478452015-09-22T01:15:32Z2015-09-22T01:15:32ZThe war on online advertising is intensifying, and the ads are losing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/95613/original/image-20150922-31528-1wv5my3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1562%2C134%2C5847%2C4163&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Adblocking software has online advertising in retreat.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>A new front in the war against online advertising has opened up with the <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/ios-9-released-what-time-will-new-iphone-system-update-come-out-10503357.html">official release</a> of Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 9. The most contentious feature was the ability for the mobile version of Safari to allow extensions to block ads. </p>
<p>Not only was there ad blocking software ready for installation on the day of the launch, but one application, <a href="http://www.marco.org/2015/09/16/peace-content-blocker">Peace</a>, became the top downloaded paid app on the iTunes App Store. The developer, Marco Arment, justified the need for ad blocking because online ads were engaging in excessive tracking and taking up space, data allowance and generally making the mobile browser experience worse for everyone. </p>
<p>But then, barely a day later, Arment pulled the app from the App Store, <a href="http://www.marco.org/2015/09/18/just-doesnt-feel-good">declaring</a> that he didn’t “feel right” profiting from blocking other peoples’ ability to make money from ads. On <a href="https://twitter.com/marcoarment">Twitter</a>, Arment went from being “immensely proud” of his app hitting the number one spot on iTunes to <a href="https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/644917185949921282">announcing</a> that he was pulling it from the store.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"644917185949921282"}"></div></p>
<p>Although Arment hasn’t elaborated on the precise technical reasons for pulling the app, it seems that the people behind <a href="https://www.ghostery.com/en/articles/the-peace-app-experiment/">Ghostery</a>, the ad blocking technology that underpinned the app, decided that his implementation was not how they imagined their software being used. </p>
<p>Ghostery advocated for users of ad blockers to be “empowered” to decide for themselves what ads and trackers to block rather than the preemptive blocking that had been implemented in the initial version of Peace.</p>
<h2>The public makes its views crystal clear</h2>
<p>Since Peace has capitulated, another ad blocker, <a href="http://crystalapp.co/">Crystal</a> has taken the vanguard as the most downloaded paid app on iTunes. </p>
<p>Setting aside the arguments for or against online advertising, one thing is absolutely clear: the public do not want advertising to be part of their web browsing experience. So it really doesn’t matter whether web sites see this as the only way that they can find to provide free content. </p>
<p>The argument that this is all about <a href="https://acceptableads.org/">bad vs good ads</a> is also clearly not an issue any more. Ad blockers could render all ads obsolete, regardless of their perceived quality. Nobody is going to spend any time worrying about whether they should unblock particular ads. </p>
<p>Ghostery may have had laudable ambitions for an honest dialogue about ad tracking and ad quality, but it isn’t a conversation that the general public is interested in having. They simply want a total victory over online advertising. </p>
<h2>The fallacy of the implied contract of ads for content</h2>
<p>In the debate about the role of advertising, advocates have argued that it enables the supply of free content. If not for advertising, people would have to pay for the content through subscriptions.</p>
<p>So, in essence, there is an “implied contract” between consumers of a site and those providing the free content: web site visitors get access to the content in exchange for being subjected to ads and providing private information through tracking their use of the site.</p>
<p>The problem with this argument is that visitors are never given the explicit choice to make that informed decision. The “contract” also conveniently leaves out the fact that, in addition to the loss of privacy and the visual experience of ads, their data allocation is going to be used, web pages will load slower, and overall, their experience of the site will be diminished. </p>
<p>The argument for the need for advertising is a weak one. There are plenty of businesses that have shown that people are willing to pay for content if it is packaged such that they can easily see value for money.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.netflix.com/">Netflix</a> and <a href="http://www.hulu.com/">Hulu</a> are examples of services that people are prepared to pay for in exchange for both the content and it being advertising free. In fact, many companies see the annoyance that customers feel with ads as a way of driving them to pay for versions of their apps that get rid of them.</p>
<h2>The ad wars will continue</h2>
<p>The war on advertising is far from over. Google, Apple and others are still going to provide ads in the protected environments of their apps, and in Google’s case, its videos.</p>
<p>Advertisers will continue to sell ads to clients who will, in turn, hope that they can get their ads in front of the remaining people who don’t use ad blocking software. </p>
<p>What the enormous popularity of ad blocking software has shown is that, if there is an “implied contract” for access to content in return for viewing ads, the public clearly is not willing to agree to it. </p>
<p>This leaves content providers with a clear message that they will need to find alternative ways of supporting the provision of that content like many other businesses do, without the use of advertising.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/47845/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Glance does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The rapid uptake of adblocking software on Apple’s latest devices shows that most users would be happy to see the back of online advertising.David Glance, Director of UWA Centre for Software Practice, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/473722015-09-10T14:23:14Z2015-09-10T14:23:14ZApple’s iPad Pro looks good, but who needs a phone with a 13" screen?<p>Apple’s annual September keynote as usual brings hardware changes, software updates and the occasional surprise. </p>
<p>Rumours of a larger iPad Pro <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/09/ipad-pro-first-impressions/">were proved true</a>: the significantly larger 12.9 inch iPad with upgraded ARM A9X processor and faster graphics and internal components is being sold as a device on which desktop-class applications could run.</p>
<p>This is supported with a stylus and keyboard (sold separately in typical Apple fashion) that essentially converts the iPad Pro into a laptop. The stylus, dubbed Apple Pencil, has provoked comment as Steve Jobs had <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/08/jobs-if-you-see-a-stylus-or-a-task-manager-they-blew-it/">expressed his distaste for them</a> in the past. The Pencil features hand writing recognition software, and improvements to iOS finally allow multitasking by splitting the screen between two apps. </p>
<p>However, with prices starting at an eye-watering US$799, there will be many who think that this won’t light a fire under tablet sales, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/07/12/forrester-tablet-sales-have-plateaued-but-theres-a-future-in-business">which have been flat</a>. For example, Amazon has taken the opposite approach, aiming for the bottom end of the market with <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/2402232/amazon-to-release-50-tablet-will-the-6-incher-have-mainstream-hardware-and-features/">a US$50 tablet</a> subsidised by purchases made through Amazon’s services. </p>
<p>There may be iPad sales in education, and in retail where they are often used as point of sale devices, but in business the iPad faces considerable competition. For example, the iPad Pro bears an uncanny similarity to Microsoft’s own convertible tablet/laptop device, the <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/2402232/amazon-to-release-50-tablet-will-the-6-incher-have-mainstream-hardware-and-features/">Surface Pro</a>, in cost and size and style. But the big difference is that Surface comes with a full operating system, Windows 10: few will take Apple’s claims that the iPad Pro can run desktop-class applications for professional use while it’s running the stripped-down iOS operating system originally designed for phones, instead of the full OS X as found on Macbooks and iMacs.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94403/original/image-20150910-27340-ztjq4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94403/original/image-20150910-27340-ztjq4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94403/original/image-20150910-27340-ztjq4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94403/original/image-20150910-27340-ztjq4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94403/original/image-20150910-27340-ztjq4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94403/original/image-20150910-27340-ztjq4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94403/original/image-20150910-27340-ztjq4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94403/original/image-20150910-27340-ztjq4k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Microsoft’s Surface Pro tablet, keyboard and stylus combo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Microsoft</span></span>
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<p>A surprise was the <a href="http://winsupersite.com/apple/microsoft-makes-appearance-during-apple-product-keynote">appearance of Microsoft staff</a> on stage to demonstrate Microsoft Office apps running on the iPad – something greeted with a stunned silence in the auditorium. Microsoft Office has been updated to support the stylus, and the invitation to appear at such a high-profile Apple event shows the extent to which Microsoft has been pouring money and effort into ensuring its software suites are cross-platform, rather than tied to Microsoft Windows. Another visitor to the stage was Adobe, whose reps showed off <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/10/apple-ipad-pro-apple-pencil-stylus-launch-technical-drawing/">new design tools with the stylus</a> – which all suggests an outbreak of corporate peace between the firms. </p>
<h2>Pushing Apple TV into the home</h2>
<p>The Apple TV finally gets a long-awaited upgrade, a wait during which many competing devices have appeared such as NOW TV, Roku, or Google’s Chromecast. Originally classified as a “media extender”, Steve Jobs called the Apple TV a “<a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/10/06/02/jobs_apple_tv_a_hobby_because_theres_no_market">hobby</a>” when introduced in 2007, but with this update Apple has refreshed the device, reorienting it to support the app ecosystem that has thrived elsewhere.</p>
<p>The new Apple TV features a new operating system <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2015/09/09/apple-tv-first-impressions/">tvOS</a>, making use of the extensive iPhone/iPad developer tools and software already available. Boasting a much higher hardware specification, the Apple TV now runs apps and games, provides a new interface and a touch-enabled remote that can also process audio commands through the Siri digital assistant voice recognition system. With this a user can use their voice to search for content across multiple television networks.</p>
<p>It should be easy to port existing iPad/iPhone applications to the TV, bringing an unparalleled range of services compared to the competition. The surge in streaming services from Amazon and Netflix has sidelined Apple to some extent, so it will be interesting to see whether reorienting the device around apps will increase Apple’s footprint in this space. Sony and Microsoft should be worried that the massive back catalogue of iOS games can now be used in the living room through Apple TV. Prices start from US$149, available from October.</p>
<h2>Phone and Watch</h2>
<p>An update to the Watch, dubbed <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/wearables/apple-watch-os-2-release-date-news-and-features-1296413">WatchOS2</a>, arrives later this month and features updated accessories, colours and straps. The update will give apps direct access to the hardware, allowing developers to write full native applications for that are more independent of the iPhone, to which the Watch has so far played second fiddle.</p>
<p>The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6SPlus are unchanged externally, but Apple claims internal upgrades including a 12 megapixel capable camera, faster A9 processor and a <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/09/what-is-the-difference-between-apple-iphone-3d-touch-and-force-touch/">Force Touch</a> capable screen, which responds to varying degrees of pressure. This is still a new tech, for which capable software has yet to be written. </p>
<p>Finally, as signalled in the developer conference earlier in the year, owners of older devices will get access to new features when iOS 9 is launched very soon. An incremental upgrade, nevertheless it offers features many users have been calling for and will provide a significant increase in speed and features for older devices.</p>
<p>It’s unlikely these changes will lead to the extraordinary sales achieved with the larger iPhones last year, so it may provide an opportunity for other manufacturers to play catch-up – improving their hardware and services which Apple has always claimed is what differentiates them from the competition in a crowded market.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/47372/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Barry Avery does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Apple tries to repeat the same supersize trick with the iPad that made the iPhone 6 wildly popular. But bigger isn’t necessarily better.Barry Avery, Associate Professor, Informatics and Operations , Kingston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/470322015-09-04T03:41:28Z2015-09-04T03:41:28ZJailbreaking iOS frees you from Apple but exposes you to malware<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93842/original/image-20150904-28868-1loji0b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=142%2C190%2C2181%2C1291&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Apple's 'walled garden' might be frustrating, but it does protect your devices from being hacked.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Faris Algosaibi/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>While Apple’s Mac OS X reputation for superior security to Windows has <a href="https://theconversation.com/which-is-more-vulnerable-to-viruses-and-hackers-windows-10-or-mac-os-x-45762">little technical basis</a>, iOS (the operating system for iPhones and iPads) is a very different story. As such, when nearly a quarter of a million Apple accounts <a href="http://www.net-security.org/malware_news.php?id=3089">were compromised by malware</a> recently, it was a big surprise for many people. </p>
<p>So far Apple has been able to keep the iPhone and iPad almost completely free of <a href="http://www.pctools.com/security-news/what-is-malware/">malware</a>. While iOS malware – some of it apparently <a href="http://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/pawn-storm-update-ios-espionage-app-found/">created by intelligence agencies</a> – does exist, only a minority of users have been vulnerable to most of it.</p>
<p>And to be vulnerable, an iOS device must first be “jailbroken”.</p>
<p>iOS’s “jail” – or to put it more diplomatically: its “<a href="http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/54187/walled-garden">walled garden</a>” – is at the root of its impressive security record. But this comes at a price that some users are not willing to pay, and this places them at greater risk of being hacked.</p>
<h2>iOS security: signatures required</h2>
<p>Every iOS device contains <a href="http://www.apple.com/business/docs/iOS_Security_Guide.pdf">special hardware and software</a> designed to ensure that only software authorised by Apple can be run on it. </p>
<p>Every piece of software that runs on an iOS device, including iOS itself, must be digitally “signed” by Apple with the private half of a two-part digital “key”. Each iOS device has the “public” half of the key. Before any piece of software is allowed to run, the phone uses the public key to check whether the software signature is authentic and applies to the software actually present on the device. If either the software or the signature have been modified, the software will not run. </p>
<p>This signature is practically impossible to forge without access to Apple’s private key. And, thus far, the mechanisms within iOS for checking signatures have been pretty much watertight, at least without physically connecting the phone to a computer with a USB cable.</p>
<p>Related mechanisms allow Apple to restrict a downloaded app from running on an iOS device or to revoke permission for an app to run at any time. Notably, this means that using illegally copied software is impossible on an unmodified iOS device.</p>
<p>All apps on Apple’s App Store are signed by Apple. These apps are made available on the App Store only after they have undergone an extensive vetting process according to the company’s <a href="https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/">published guidelines</a>. </p>
<p>While keeping malware and other forms of objectionable software off the App Store is a primary goal, the guidelines also impose commercial restrictions. For example, subscription apps must use Apple’s payment mechanism, on which Apple collects a 30% commission. </p>
<p>This practice has attracted negative comment <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/7/22/9016449/al-franken-letter-government-apple-music">from US federal Senator Al Franken</a>, who has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate what he views as potentially illegal anti-competitive behaviour under US law.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93843/original/image-20150904-28909-1sbc8k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93843/original/image-20150904-28909-1sbc8k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93843/original/image-20150904-28909-1sbc8k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93843/original/image-20150904-28909-1sbc8k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93843/original/image-20150904-28909-1sbc8k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93843/original/image-20150904-28909-1sbc8k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93843/original/image-20150904-28909-1sbc8k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93843/original/image-20150904-28909-1sbc8k2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jailbreaking can give you – or hackers – access to the guts of your device.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">MIKI Yoshihito/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Tinkerers, pirates and foreign language speakers</h2>
<p>Some iOS users are unwilling to accept the restrictions imposed on them by Apple, or sometimes Apple-authorised apps, for a variety of reasons. To circumvent these restrictions, they take advantage of flaws in iOS’s security regime to install additional non-authorised software by first “jailbreaking” their device. </p>
<p>Jailbreaking an iOS device requires a program such as <a href="http://www.taig.com/en/">TaiG</a>, which anonymous programmers have made available at no cost. A user downloads TaiG to their PC or Mac, connects their iOS device and then runs TaiG.</p>
<p>As well as allowing the user unfettered access to the files hidden behind the scenes on their iOS device, TaiG installs a “package manager” called Cydia. Through this they can install new apps unapproved by Apple, which are available from a variety of third-party repositories, as well as “tweaks” to modify existing apps.</p>
<p>Some of the <a href="http://www.igeeksblog.com/best-ios-8-cydia-tweaks/">extra functionality downloadable through Cydia</a> includes a tweak to allow easy saving of photos on an Instagram feed, modifying the system fonts and improved Chinese language input. Historically, Apple’s stock iOS Chinese keyboard <a href="http://technode.com/2013/02/05/why-do-we-need-jailbreak-for-ios-in-china/">has been inferior</a> to unauthorised third-party keyboards.</p>
<p>However, it can’t be denied that the ability to install pirated software is also attractive to some iOS users. It appears this was both the downfall of the victims of the recent hack and a goal of the hackers. </p>
<p>The malware was distributed as a “<a href="https://usa.kaspersky.com/internet-security-center/threats/trojans#.Vej0-vmqpBc">Trojan horse</a>” through repositories of (mainly pirated) software accessible through Cydia in China (although it was not managed by the Cydia creator itself). Once installed, it stole the Apple account credentials of the user who installed the malware. </p>
<p>This allowed the hackers to use those accounts to purchase items from the iOS App Store for somebody else’s use. The malware could also be used to hold a phone to ransom, or steal the information stored in the cloud on the Apple account.</p>
<h2>Whom do you trust?</h2>
<p>As a user, I find Apple’s attitude that it is the ultimate arbiter of what’s appropriate for me to do with my device somewhat irritating. But this policy has also been very effective at keeping malware out of the iOS ecosystem, all without the need for consumers to invest in additional anti-malware software.</p>
<p>Outside the iOS jail, the burden of keeping malware off one’s phone falls entirely to the user and their judgement. It’s a virtual Wild West, replete with outlaws looking to exploit the unwary.</p>
<p>While I sympathise with Chinese users burdened with inefficient native language input, for most of us it’s hard to see that “cool” animations and other non-authorised apps are worth the risk of malware infection.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/47032/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Merkel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Jailbreaking your iOS device can free you from Apple’s ‘walled garden’, but it’s a Wild West beyond the walls.Robert Merkel, Lecturer in Software Engineering, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/466282015-08-26T04:51:54Z2015-08-26T04:51:54ZApple’s mobile ad blocking will hasten the death of online advertising<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92991/original/image-20150826-32502-iv3xj5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ads will soon be easily blocked on iOS 9 phones.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Japanexperterna.se/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Apple is about to open a new front in the ongoing war against online advertising. The new version of its mobile operating system, <a href="http://www.techradar.com/au/news/software/operating-systems/ios-9-what-we-want-to-see-1253732">iOS 9</a>, will support <a href="http://au.pcmag.com/browsers-reviews-and/31334/news/ios-9-to-support-ad-blocking-on-safari">ad blocking</a> by Safari, its mobile web browser. </p>
<p>A study by Adobe and pro-advertising company <a href="https://pagefair.com/">PageFair</a> finds that the popularity of <a href="https://getadblock.com/">ad blocking extensions</a> in desktop web browsers is responsible for <a href="http://blog.pagefair.com/2015/ad-blocking-report/">US$22 billion in lost revenue</a> to the websites that host ads. </p>
<p>They estimate that there are now 198 million users worldwide actively blocking ads. Amongst 400 users surveyed by the report’s authors, the main reasons cited for using ad blocking software were avoiding privacy abuse by targeted advertising as well as the number of ads encountered when browsing.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93089/original/image-20150826-15393-1emjznp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93089/original/image-20150826-15393-1emjznp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/93089/original/image-20150826-15393-1emjznp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93089/original/image-20150826-15393-1emjznp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93089/original/image-20150826-15393-1emjznp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93089/original/image-20150826-15393-1emjznp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93089/original/image-20150826-15393-1emjznp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/93089/original/image-20150826-15393-1emjznp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A typical message from a website about the use of any ad blocking.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">TheGuardian.com screen grab</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The practice of trying to guilt users into switching off their ad blocking software when visiting sites doesn’t appear to be working and the display of messages to ad blocking users by web sites has diminished.</p>
<p>Ad blocking apps that will be available for Safari on iOS 9 are already being made available to beta testers. One such app, <a href="http://murphyapps.co/blog/2015/8/22/crystal-benchmarks">Crystal</a>, not only blocks ads but experiments by the developer has shown that using this ad blocking software speeds up web pages loading in the browser by four times. This also results in a significant reduction in data being used, which is significant on a mobile device using cellular data. </p>
<p>Another ad blocking app <a href="http://www.cio.com/article/2969342/ios/ios-9-purify-ad-blocker-ready-for-beta-testing.html">Purify</a> that is also in beta testing appears to also block ads on YouTube.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92978/original/image-20150826-32474-1av1nj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92978/original/image-20150826-32474-1av1nj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92978/original/image-20150826-32474-1av1nj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92978/original/image-20150826-32474-1av1nj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92978/original/image-20150826-32474-1av1nj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92978/original/image-20150826-32474-1av1nj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92978/original/image-20150826-32474-1av1nj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92978/original/image-20150826-32474-1av1nj8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The stand out, and that’s precisely why so many people block them.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pascale Kinchen Douglas/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Ad blocking on mobile is not completely new</h2>
<p>Ad blocking has been available for some time on Android for users of the <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/android/addon/adblock-plus/">Firefox mobile browser</a> and for <a href="https://adblockplus.org/android-install">Google Chrome</a>. In the case of blocking ads by Google Chrome, an app needs to be installed which is not from the Google Play app store. </p>
<p>Ad blocking has also been available on Apple devices but have worked by blocking access to certain domains that serve up the ads. <a href="http://adblockios.com/">AdBlock</a> for example works by pretending to be a virtual private network (VPN) connection and filters out access to specific sites. This of course only works if the list of sites to block is up-to-date. It also doesn’t allow for “whitelists”, which are sites that are allowed through because they are deemed “<a href="https://acceptableads.org/">acceptable</a>”.</p>
<p>However, the move by Apple is going to boost ad blocking on mobile dramatically because it is going to make the process of doing so that much easier. This has advertisers, and sites that make money from advertising, increasingly <a href="http://au.pcmag.com/mobile-operating-system/31341/opinion/apple-ios-9-ad-blocking-explained-and-why-its-a-ba">worried</a> because it raises their costs in terms of creating ads that are less intrusive and deemed more acceptable (although this may still not convince the public to view them). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92979/original/image-20150826-32456-17ewzni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92979/original/image-20150826-32456-17ewzni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92979/original/image-20150826-32456-17ewzni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92979/original/image-20150826-32456-17ewzni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92979/original/image-20150826-32456-17ewzni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92979/original/image-20150826-32456-17ewzni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92979/original/image-20150826-32456-17ewzni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92979/original/image-20150826-32456-17ewzni.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Apple’s iOS 9 is due to be released later this year and will include content blocking.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Apple</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For Apple, though, the move to allow ad blocking gives iPhone users a better browsing experience at no cost to Apple. Apple makes no money from online advertising through mobile browsing. And, of course, its own ads that are served up through apps are unaffected by ad blocking software. </p>
<p>As a bonus to Apple, the company who <em>is</em> most affected by ads being blocked is Google, which derives <a href="https://theconversation.com/will-ad-blocking-deal-the-final-death-blow-to-already-failing-online-advertising-42600">90% of its revenue</a> from advertising. </p>
<p>Apple is able to increase the level of privacy it offers its customers without directly getting involved itself and risking annoying companies that rely on revenues from advertising. </p>
<h2>The advertisers’ dilemma</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92990/original/image-20150826-32480-16rvpg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92990/original/image-20150826-32480-16rvpg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92990/original/image-20150826-32480-16rvpg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92990/original/image-20150826-32480-16rvpg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92990/original/image-20150826-32480-16rvpg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92990/original/image-20150826-32480-16rvpg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92990/original/image-20150826-32480-16rvpg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92990/original/image-20150826-32480-16rvpg0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many ads can be deliberately deceptive.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Create Meme</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It is hard to feel sorry for the advertisers and the sites that resort to displaying targeted invasive ads, such as those sold by Google, Facebook, Yahoo and others. </p>
<p>These ads are designed to target individuals based on information gathered about them as they use the internet. So not only are they annoying, but they are exploiting people’s privacy. Adding insult to injury, the inclusion of ads <a href="http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/e-marketing/adblock-plus-adblocking-network-traffic-172245">slows down web page loads</a> and potentially ends up costing end-users money by using their data allocation. </p>
<p>The argument that content providers are only able to provide content based on the exploitation of their visitors is not a good one because it implies that those visitors signed up to an agreement to view ads in exchange for the content. Of course, users generally do no such thing. And given the explicit choice, might easily opt simply not to visit the site. </p>
<p>Most users don’t necessarily mind being provided with information that allows them to make a reasoned choice about a product when they have decided to buy it. But advertising that tries to persuade a consumer to buy something they weren’t considering buying is a different matter. </p>
<p>Once advertisers do more of the former and less of the latter, perhaps ad blocking will no longer be necessary.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/46628/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Glance owns shares in Apple</span></em></p>Online ads are already under pressure from ad blockers, so Apple’s decision to include content blocking in the upcoming iOS 9 will make things even harder for advertisers.David Glance, Director of UWA Centre for Software Practice, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.