Did you know you can be tracked across multiple websites, your location data can also be collected without your permission and that web extensions can expose your privacy?
These are just some of the things Apple has pointed out in a new campaign to make people aware of what’s really going on when we browse the web.
Apple, which has always been a strong advocate for privacy, released a new video showing the dangers users face online.
At the same time the company pointed out that its Safari browser on iPhone and Mac offers protection against things like cross site tracking and has a state of the art private browsing mode.
CROSS TRACKING PREVENTION
Most are unaware that users can be tracked across websites to target ads at individuals.
You may have noticed the same ad on different websites across the internet.
Some websites have more than 100 trackers from multiple companies on a single page.
Since 2005, Apple’s Safari browser was the first to start blocking third party cookies.
In 2019, Safari was the first browser to block all third party cookies.
But it goes beyond that.
Data companies are always trying to come up with new ways to track you and Apple has come up with Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) which uses machine learning to find out which domains are used to track you.
It then isolates and clears the tracking data from your device.
Another feature of Safari is being able to hide your IP address from known trackers to prevent your precise location being revealed.
But data companies don’t stop there.
They use a technique known as fingerprinting which can identify things like your system configuration, your fonts, plugins and even your screen resolution.
Looking for this unique combination of your settings is a way the data companies can identify you and track you online.
Safari has a more simplified version of the system configuration which makes it harder to single out individual users.
LOCATION DATA PREVENTION
Location information can reveal a lot about a user.
Information like where you live, where you work, where your kids go to school and where you shop is information that can be gathered when you browse the web and sold to data brokers without your knowledge or consent.
Safari has protections in this area as well starting with search.
Most browsers have built in search which automatically reveals your device’s location within the search engine you are using.
Safari has been built differently and won’t share your location data with the search engine.
But there are times you want to share your location when looking for places nearby and Safari offers an option to allow location tracking for a single day.
PRIVACY AND WEB EXTENSIONS
Many users have web extensions to personalise their browsing experience and to provide more functionality.
But what most people don’t realise is that extensions can provide a gateway for what’s happening on your browser including what’s on your screen and even what you type for passwords and credit card information.
Safari has adopted a system where the user is informed about the information an extension can access before it is enabled.
It’s also possible to restrict an extension’s access for a single day or to specific websites.
PRIVATE BROWSING
Back in 2005, Safari was the first browser to offer a private browsing mode which was able to hide your browsing history from others using the same device.
And while other browsers followed suit, the threats just became more advanced and they haven’t been improved to match these new threats.
The same can’t be said for Safari.
It has evolved to provide continual protection by not saving the web pages you visited or the searches you’ve made and even your autofill information.
These protections are now even more sturdy with Face ID and Touch ID which can lock your browser even when you walk away from your computer.
Private browsing also provides even more protection against aggressive trackers.
Link tracking prevention removes unnecessary trackers. You may notice links with added information to track you. Link tracking removes that additional URL information.
