Apple updates Safari on iOS and Mac to block third-party cookies
Annoyed at how much data companies gather from your web browsing? Apple's giving Safari on iOS and MacOS an update to help.
Announced by Apple WebKit engineer John Wilander in a blog post on the WebKit site, the move fully blocks third-party cookies, bringing the latest version of Safari in-line with other browsers like Tor. (WebKit is the browser engine that powers Safari.)
Google said in a blog post of its own earlier this year that it hopes to add similar functionality to Chrome "within two years."
Cookies allow for tracking behavior across websites, something that has been under increasing scrutiny in recent years as the internet community began taking stock of how much data was being collected online by these trackers, known as third-party cookies and often used by social networks and advertising companies. With this new update, the newest Safari will no longer allow those cookies to operate.
In tweets accompanying his blog post, Wilander says that Apple will report back its experience to privacy groups such as the W3C (Worldwide Web Consortium) to "help other browsers take the leap."
The move is Apple's latest to fight against data trackers. Last year the company built a new browser technology called Privacy Preserving Ad Click Attribution that was designed to let advertisers figure out when their ads successfully got you to buy something but without tracking you across the internet and harvesting personal details to do so.
The company has taken other steps to try and limit the gathering of people's information, including creating Sign In with Apple, a way for people to sign in to apps and websites without having to necessarily divulge personal information such as their actual email address.
The new version of Safari is out now in iOS and iPadOS 13.4 and in Safari version 13.1 on MacOS.
You should read it
- The best password managers of 2020 and how to use them
- How to fix 5 Safari bugs on iPhone
- How to fix Safari's status is slow
- Summary of the new features of Safari on iOS 14
- Apple's iPad OS update: 5 tips to make your iPad work for you
- Apple releases iOS 15.3.1 to completely fix Safari security flaw
- 'Imitating' Microsoft, Apple will also release a version of Safari Chromium for Windows?
- Find out the latest features on MacOS Big Sur
- Fix the error that Safari automatically exits on iPhone / iPad
- Apple developed Safari 3D browser
- How to access website settings in Safari on iPhone, iPad
- How to show or hide Tab Bar on Safari for iPad
Maybe you are interested
6 Safari Settings to Change to Improve Your Mac Browsing Experience
Safari launched the feature to automatically delete ads as quickly as Thanos' snap
Serious security vulnerabilities in Safari and Chrome have existed for 18 years
How to summarize web pages on iPhone Safari
Apple launches Distraction Control: Integrated content blocking tool for Safari
Macbook cannot exit Safari - Save immediately how to fix it