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.

Safari-DuckDuckGo-Old-New
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

ArtOfWarfare Avatar
118 months ago
It's really time they demote Google to just being an option and stop making it the default.

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
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Weaselboy Avatar
118 months ago
It's really time they demote Google to just being an option and stop making it the default.

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
I'm a user and fan of DDG also, but I suspect Google is paying Apple a ton of money to stay the default search engine in Safari. I saw some earlier articles saying Google paid one billion dollars to be the iOS default search engine, so I think it is fair to assume a similar arrangement exists on the OS X side.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
!!! Avatar
118 months ago
So they're all over Apple with this little thing, yet I see so many commercials and in-app ads that are always misleading. Funny how whenever Apple does anything wrong, everyone is on their case, but when other companies do something wrong, no one really cares.

Also, does macrumors really think this a newsworthy story?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Weaselboy Avatar
118 months ago
This has to be one of the most insignificant articles I’ve ever read on MacRumors. I don’t know what Joe Rossignol was thinking when he decided to publish this. And I have no idea how his superior(s) approved this piss-poor story.

What’s next? Are we going to get an article telling us that Apple has started using a different brand of toilet paper in the restrooms at headquarters?
Others here seemed to find it interesting. Maybe you could just skip over articles you are not interested in.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
willmtaylor Avatar
118 months ago
I've liked DuckDuckGo for years, but ultimately, I always go back to Google as the results and filtering are just much better most of the time.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doelcm82 Avatar
118 months ago
I'm a user and fan of DDG also, but I suspect Google is paying Apple a ton of money to stay the default search engine in Safari. I saw some earlier articles saying Google paid one billion dollars to be the iOS default search engine, so I think it is fair to assume a similar arrangement exists on the OS X side.
Of course if DDG wanted to match Google's offer...
[doublepost=1465492871][/doublepost]
This has to be one of the most insignificant articles I’ve ever read on MacRumors. I don’t know what Joe Rossignol was thinking when he decided to publish this. And I have no idea how his superior(s) approved this piss-poor story.

What’s next? Are we going to get an article telling us that Apple has started using a different brand of toilet paper in the restrooms at headquarters?
Why? What have you heard?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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