Webkit browser1/6/2024 Presumably, Apple's counsel included this specious filigree to distract from the reality that Apple rarely accepts outside changes that push the state of the art forward. Anyone can fork WebKit and improve it, but they cannot ship enhancements to iOS users of their products.Īpple asserts this is fine becase WebKit's openness extends to open governance regarding feature additions. To the extent they are both skilled in browser construction and have the freedom to distribute modified binaries, WebKit's source code can serve as the basis for new engines. ![]() Anyone who cares to download and fork the code can do so. The open source nature of WebKit is indisputable as a legal technicality. Let's address these claims from most easily falsified to most contested. Instead of having to supply an entirely separate browser engine (with the significant privacy and security issues this creates), third parties can contribute relevant changes to the WebKit project for incorporation into the WebKit engine. WebKit is an open-source web engine that allows Apple to enable improvements contributed by third parties. ![]() By requiring use of WebKit, Apple can provide security updates to all our users quickly and accurately, no matter which browser they decide to download from the App Store. Also, allowing other web browser engines could put users at risk if developers abandon their apps or fail to address a security flaw quickly. This presents an acute danger to users, considering the vast amount of private and sensitive data that is typically accessed on a mobile device.īy requiring apps to use WebKit, Apple can rapidly and accurately address exploits across our entire user base and most effectively secure their privacy and security. Nefarious websites have analysed other web browser engines and found flaws that have not been disclosed, and exploit those flaws when a user goes to a particular website to silently violate user privacy or security. The purpose of this rule is to protect user privacy and security. If no, please explain why not.Īll iOS apps that browse the web are required to use "the appropriate WebKit framework and WebKit Javascript" pursuant to Section 2.5.6 of the App Store Review Guidelines Does Apple restrict, in any way, the ability of competing web browsers to deploy their own web browsing engines when running on Apple's operating system? If yes, please describe any restrictions that Apple imposes and all the reasons for doing so. House Antitrust Subcommittee includes its fullest response and it provides a helpful, less-technical framing to discuss how browser engine choice relates to power over software distribution:Ĥ. Apple (slide image)Īpple's lawyers mangled a screen capture of the Financial Times ( FT) web app to cover for a deficit of features in Safari and WebKit, inadvertently setting the tone.Įxperts tend to treat Apple's arguments with disdain, but this skepticism is expressed in technical terms that can obscure deeper issues.
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