Editing Safari (web browser) (section)

== Criticism ==

=== Security updates for Snow Leopard and Windows ===
Software security firm [[Sophos]] detailed how [[Mac OS X Snow Leopard|Snow Leopard]] and [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] users were not supported by the Safari 6 release at the time,<ref>{{cite web |last=Long |first=Joshua |date=July 30, 2012 |title=Where are the Safari security updates for Windows and Snow Leopard? Users left exposed |url=http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/07/30/no-safari-security-updates/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803154555/http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/07/30/no-safari-security-updates/ |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |access-date=July 30, 2012 |website=Naked Security}}</ref> while there were over 121 vulnerabilities left unpatched on those platforms.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 25, 2012 |title=About the security content of Safari 6 |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5400 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622142856/http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5400 |archive-date=June 22, 2020 |website=[[Apple Inc.]]}}</ref> Since then, Snow Leopard has had only three minor version releases of Safari (the most recent in September 2013<ref>{{cite web |date=September 12, 2013 |title=Safari 5.1.10 for Snow Leopard |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1569 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714191754/http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1569 |archive-date=July 14, 2016 |access-date=February 5, 2015 |website=[[Apple Inc.]]}}</ref>), and Windows has had none.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 9, 2012 |title=Safari 5.1.7 for Windows |url=http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1531 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227130602/http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1531 |archive-date=December 27, 2012 |access-date=December 27, 2012 |website=[[Apple Inc.]]}}</ref> While no official word has been released by Apple, the indication is that these are the final versions available for these operating systems, and both retain significant security issues.<ref>{{cite web |last=Verry |first=Tim |date=August 6, 2012 |title=Apple No Longer Updating Safari for Windows, Users Should Switch To A More Secure Browser |url=http://www.pcper.com/news/General-Tech/Apple-No-Longer-Updating-Safari-Windows-Users-Should-Switch-More-Secure-Browser |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127054658/https://pcper.com/2012/08/apple-no-longer-updating-safari-for-windows-users-should-switch-to-a-more-secure-browser/ |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |access-date=February 5, 2015 |website=[[PC Perspective]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bond |first=John-Michael |date=February 28, 2014 |title=Apple isn't updating Snow Leopard anymore, here's what you should know |url=http://www.tuaw.com/2014/02/28/apple-isnt-updating-snow-leopard-anymore-heres-what-you-shoul/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205215636/http://www.tuaw.com/2014/02/28/apple-isnt-updating-snow-leopard-anymore-heres-what-you-shoul/ |archive-date=February 5, 2015 |access-date=February 5, 2015 |website=[[The Unofficial Apple Weblog]]}}</ref>

=== Potential anticompetitive practices ===
Apple has been criticized for anticompetitive practices related to Safari on iOS.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Claburn |first1=Thomas |title=Web devs rally to challenge Apple App Store browser rules |url=https://www.theregister.com/2022/02/28/apple_apps_challenge/ |website=[[The Register]] |access-date=5 June 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Before [[iOS 14]] (2020), users could not change their default browser, so links always opened in Safari.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Price |first1=David |title=How to choose your own default apps for email, browsing & music |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/673873/how-to-change-your-iphones-default-apps-in-ios-14-and-ios-13.html |magazine=Macworld |access-date=5 June 2023 |language=en}}</ref> [[App Store (iOS/iPadOS)|App Store]] rules still require all third-party iOS browsers to use Safari's WebKit browser engine, inheriting its limitations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berthene |first=April |date=May 2, 2017 |title=Apple keeps Safari at Chrome's core, and that's a drag on consumers' mobile experience |url=https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2017/05/02/apples-dirty-little-secret-about-chrome/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408040333/https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2017/05/02/apples-dirty-little-secret-about-chrome/ |archive-date=April 8, 2020 |access-date=March 22, 2021 |website=Digital Commerce 360 |language=en-US}}</ref> Apple's stated motivation for this browser engine restriction was to increase security, an argument disputed by the UK's [[Competition and Markets Authority]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Charlton |first1=Hartley |title=Should Apple Continue to Ban Rival Browser Engines on iOS? |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2022/02/25/should-apple-ban-rival-browser-engines/ |website=MacRumors |access-date=5 June 2023 |language=en |date=25 February 2022}}</ref> The European Union's [[Digital Markets Act]] regulation, passed in 2022, requires Apple to allow alternative browser engines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Claburn |first1=Thomas |title=UK antitrust regulator forced to abandon Apple probe |url=https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/04/uk_competition_watchdog_apple/ |website=The Register |access-date=7 June 2023 |language=en}}</ref> In response, Google and Mozilla began porting their browser engines to iOS.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Claburn |first1=Thomas |title=Mozilla, Google looking ahead to the end of Apple's WebKit |url=https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/07/mozilla_google_apple_webkit/ |website=The Register |access-date=7 June 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Payments from Google ===
In a November 2023 disclosure, during the ongoing antitrust trial against Google, an economics professor at the [[University of Chicago]] revealed that Google pays Apple 36% of all search advertising revenue generated when users access Google through the Safari browser. The revenue generated from Safari users has been kept confidential, but the 36% figure suggests that it is likely in the tens of billions of dollars.

Both Apple and Google have argued that disclosing the specific terms of their search default agreement would harm their competitive positions. However, the court ruled that the information was relevant to the antitrust case and ordered its disclosure. This revelation has raised concerns about the dominance of Google in the search engine market and the potential anticompetitive effects of its agreements with Apple.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nylen |first=Leah |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-13/apple-gets-36-of-google-revenue-from-search-deal-witness-says |title=Apple Gets 36% of Google Revenue in Search Deal, Expert Says |work=Bloomberg News |date=2023-11-13 |accessdate=2023-11-14 }}</ref>