Apple’s decision to enforce a remotely updateable Safari blocklist has given it a direct way to cut advertising-data companies off from web traffic on updated iPhones and iPads. The list can block hundreds of data and advertising technology firms, and Apple keeps it in a file that it can alter at any moment without notice.
iOS 27 began rolling out on 14 September. Within a week, The Trade Desk could no longer serve advertisements in Safari on updated devices. Its representative, Ian Meyers, filed a bug report on 21 September showing that Safari had blocked ads from adsrvr.org, an address the company uses to deliver them. Apple replied on 22 September that it was investigating.
The address is on a private Apple list of domains that Safari always blocks. The browser’s latest software stops it from contacting a short list of advertising-data companies.
By 29 September, Apple’s list had added Unified ID 2.0, ID5, Audigent, LiveRamp and Permutive during the month.
Mathieu Roche, ID5’s co-founder and chief executive, said the restrictions had arrived “released without warning or consultation”. He said they limited web publishers’ ability “to recognize their visitors and make money from advertising”.
Roche described the restrictions as an attack on the open web’s business model. He wrote: “This move is not against ID5.io or any other adtech company, it is an attack against the business model of the web and in favor of mobile applications, where Apple can apply a 30% tax on everything”.
He also said: “Apple has been found guilty of weaponizing privacy for its own business benefit by the EU already”. Roche said Apple “have not been willing” to meet industry organisations.
The immediate dispute remains open. John Wilander, an Apple engineer who had investigated The Trade Desk’s report from 22 September, asked Meyers at 12:29:29 Pacific time on 5 October to test a new iOS 27.2 beta. At 12:44:51 Pacific time, 15 minutes and 22 seconds later, Meyers said he could see changes in the 24B5099f build.
Meyers said The Trade Desk would continue testing and report back if it found problems. As of 5 October, bug 324771 remained marked NEW, without a resolution or an assignee.
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