Mozilla CEO blasts Apple, likens Safari to malware

BEIJING, March25 (Xinhuanet) -- Mozilla CEO
John Lilly has hit out at Apple, saying the company's desicion to include the
Safari browser in its iTunes automatic update service is bad for the security of
the Web and similar to the way malware is distributed, media reported Tuesday.

While a user has the option to uncheck the update,
Lily argued that most will just press the "Install" button, which automatically
installs Safari possibly without the user realizing what he or she has done.

"Apple has made it incredibly easy -- the default,
even -- for users to install ride along software that they didn't ask for, and
maybe didn't want. This is wrong, and borders on malware distribution
practices," said Lilly in the post.

Lilly believes Apple is affecting the way users see
technology companies.

"It's wrong because it undermines the trust that
we're all trying to build with users. Because it means that an update isn't just
an update, but is maybe something more. Because it ultimately undermines the
safety of users on the Web by eroding that relationship. It's a bad practice and
should stop," he wrote.

(Agencies)