Apple’s Unseen Advertising Dilemma: Scam in the Streamline

Advertising in Apple News is frequently viewed with skepticism, as noted by journalist Kirk McElhearn, who embarked on a small investigation. Initially, back in 2024, Apple struck a deal with Taboola, a major advertising company and the world’s largest content recommendation and native advertising platform. The issue lies in the nature of the ads displayed on this platform, which often appear questionable.

McElhearn shared examples of several advertisements he encountered on his Apple News feed in just one day. Firstly, the images seemed to be AI-generated. While this is not inherently fraudulent, the journalist’s domain research revealed they were registered quite recently. This alone doesn’t indicate fraud but does arouse suspicion.

Another ad involved a company called Tidenox, which ostensibly handles pension matters. McElhearn mentioned that fake ads about businesses ‘shutting down’ have been around for several years, with even the US Consumer Protection Bureau warning against them due to their tendency to abscond with people’s money before closing down.

Does Apple care? Does Taboola care? Does Apple care that Taboola displays such ads? My guess: no, no, and no. In this case, the company’s domain is also rather fresh, although the ad speaks of a company with 26 years of history. Of course, Apple itself does not publish or even vet these ads, yet millions of Apple device users see them.

Recently, Apple has acknowledged the growing concern over fraudulent ads and started reviewing its ad policies to prevent scams, especially after receiving customer complaints in late 2025. Alongside this, industry expert, Mark Thompson, warns that digital ad fraud is set to become more sophisticated, requiring platforms like Apple News to adopt stringent checks. Efforts are being made globally to clamp down on scam ads, with several lawsuits being won against fraudulent companies, marking the beginning of stricter digital ad regulations in 2026.