Earlier this week, Apple tweaked the language on its Safari website to remove the claim that its web browser is the only one to offer non-tracking search engine DuckDuckGo as a built-in option. The original wording was added to Apple's website in October 2014 and remained unchanged until Tuesday night.
Before:
For example, it’s the only browser to offer DuckDuckGo — a search engine that doesn’t track you — as a built-in option.
After:
For example, Safari gives you the option to search the Internet using DuckDuckGo - a search engine that doesn’t track you - as a built-in option.
A source informed us that Apple made the change in response to a misleading advertising complaint received by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the U.K. The claim was misleading because the Tor and Firefox web browsers have offered DuckDuckGo as a built-in option since 2012 and November 2014 respectively.
The marketing language has been corrected on the Safari website in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Singapore, and other English-language regions. Our source said more details will be published on the ASA website on June 15.
Apple's marketing has been the subject of several decisions from the ASA, which enforces strict advertising regulations in the U.K. The organization banned a television ad for the iPhone in 2008, while it ruled in Apple's favor in disputes related to the world's thinnest smartphone and misleading Siri advertising for the iPhone 4s in 2011.
Top Rated Comments
People who care will change back to Google. People who don't will have security and privacy by default, and probably never notice (just like most people never noticed the change from Google Maps to Apple Maps.)
DDG FTW
Also, does GeekWebGuides really think this a newsworthy story?
The most insignificant stories are surely the ones that don't provoke any responses whatsoever... ?! I found the story moderately interesting, certainly more so than many other stories that received no 'is this really newsworthy' comments, I guess different people have different criteria for what is newsworthy or interesting to them. *shrugs*
Personally I love DuckDuckGo and most of the time I use it as my main search engine. I will concede sometimes I have to reach for the google, especially for specific image searches, which aren't nearly as good on DDG, I find (or I don't find, which is the problem!).
As has been said, Google give Apple a load of cash to be the default and I have no real problem with that. I would like Apple to make more noise about DuckDuckGo being an option though, and why users might like to choose that option (or not, depending what works for them and what is important to them), so accuracy and clarity is important when they do mention it.