I now assume that all ads on Apple news are scams
Apple News, once positioned as a premium service, is increasingly inundated with scammy, often AI-generated, advertisements, baffling and frustrating users. This trend ignites a heated Hacker News debate on the "enshittification" of major tech platforms and Apple's perceived abandonment of user experience for revenue. The explicit mention of AI watermarks in the ads further highlights the deceptive nature of this new advertising frontier.
The Lowdown
The Kirkville article highlights a growing problem within Apple News: the prevalence of scam advertisements, many of which appear to be AI-generated. The author notes a significant degradation in ad quality since Apple's 2024 partnership with Taboola, an ad network known for "chumbox" content. The author provides several examples of suspicious ads, scrutinizing their newly registered domains and, in one case, identifying a partially masked Google Gemini logo on an image, indicating AI creation. These ads often mimic known scam patterns, such as "going out of business" sales, which have been flagged by organizations like the US Better Business Bureau. Despite Apple News+ being a paid subscription service, it is not immune to these low-quality, potentially fraudulent ads. The article concludes by criticizing Apple and Taboola for allowing Apple News to become a "honeypot" for such deceptive advertising, implying a prioritization of profit over the integrity of a "premium" news service. This situation calls into question Apple's commitment to delivering a high-quality, trusted experience, particularly given its historical brand image.
The Gossip
The Adpocalypse: A Universal Assumption
Many commenters extend the author's premise, arguing that all online ads, regardless of platform, should be assumed to be scams due to pervasive low quality and deceptive practices. This widespread skepticism fuels strong support for ad-blockers, which many users consider essential for navigating the modern internet. Some even claim a "banner blindness" developed from early web experiences.
Apple's Ailing Ecosystem: The Post-Jobs Decline
A significant portion of the discussion centers on Apple itself, framing the ad issue within a broader narrative of the company's "enshittification" following Steve Jobs' death. Commenters criticize Apple's shift to a "services strategy" that prioritizes revenue growth, often at the expense of user experience and product quality, citing Apple News as a prime example of this decline.
Profiteering Paradox: The Ad Ecosystem's Dark Side
Users delve into the underlying economic incentives driving the proliferation of scam ads. They argue that ad platforms and payment processors are often complicit, or at least complacent, as it's financially advantageous for them to host these ads. The lack of robust scam detection and liability for platforms is seen as a key enabler.
Artificial Imagery, Authentic Deceit
The explicit mention of AI-generated images in the article sparked discussion on how artificial intelligence facilitates the creation and spread of fraudulent advertisements. Commenters highlight how AI tools allow scammers to quickly produce convincing, yet fake, visuals and narratives, making it harder for users to distinguish legitimate offers from deceitful ones.