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Safari Browser in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave to Feature Enhanced Privacy Tools

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Apr 12, 2001
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safari-icon-250x250.jpg
In iOS 12 and macOS Mojave, Apple's Safari browser will include some powerful new privacy features. When viewing sites in Safari, "like" and "share" social media buttons, as well as comment fields, embedded on pages will be prevented from automatically tracking users until they're interacted with.

When users do interact with these items, they'll be shown an alert warning them that they may then be tracked.

There will also be new security measures to prevent digital fingerprinting, or the use of things like installed fonts and plug-ins to help track users across the internet even with privacy settings active. Websites will be given a stripped down, simplified system configuration so every user's Mac looks like every other user's Mac.

Safari will also gain new password organizing features that automatically creates and stores passwords and flags reused passwords between sites so they can be changed.

The new Safari will be released this fall for iOS and macOS.

Article Link: Safari Browser in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave to Feature Enhanced Privacy Tools
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/06/04/safari-ios-12-macos-mojave-enhanced-privacy-tools/
Considering the gigabytes of information most users world wide have probably already been collected and stored, this may be closing the barn door after all the horses have escaped.
 
This will make a lot of companies not very happy to which I say go eff yourself.

Didn't see many useful features in this new macOS version but besides system-wide dark mode this is a really good thing.
 
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Great, but did they add Favicons back in to Safari tabs?

MacRumors said:



safari-icon-250x250.jpg
Apple revealed today at WWDC that its latest version of Safari browser in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave will include some interesting new privacy tools.

When viewing sites in Safari, for example, "like" and "share" social media buttons that appear will be prevented from automatically tracking users when they're clicked on.

When users do interact with these buttons, they'll be shown an alert warning them that they may be tracked, at which point they can decide to keep their information private.

The upcoming version of Safari will also implement new security measures to prevent digital fingerprinting, flagging websites that digitally mine browsers for information in order to learn about users and how they browse the internet.

Safari will also prevent websites from harvesting form fields to capture information.

More to follow.

Article Link: Safari Browser in iOS 12 and macOS Mojave to Feature Enhanced Privacy Tools
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EdT said:
Considering the gigabytes of information most users world wide have probably already been collected and stored, this may be closing the barn door after all the horses have escaped.
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Well at least you can prevent your replacement horsing from escaping in the future. Otherwise, you probably aren't a very good rancher.
 
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philipmv said:
Great, but did they add Favicons back in to Safari tabs?
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Actually, I think they did, as an option. I briefly heard Craig mention that at the very end of the macOS wrapup... which I'm truely excited about. I'd like to start using Safari more than Chrome, but found I really do need the favicons to quickly identify tabs, so Safari has ben a non-starter for me.
 
But have they fixed the issue with external displays connected through analog so I can use Safari to access streaming services again?
 
KazKam said:
Actually, I think they did, as an option. I briefly heard Craig mention that at the very end of the macOS wrapup... which I'm truely excited about. I'd like to start using Safari more than Chrome, but found I really do need the favicons to quickly identify tabs, so Safari has ben a non-starter for me.
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This is excellent news! John Gruber would be proud. And the developer of Faviconographer should be happy. Things like SafariStand are no longer needed.
 
EdT said:
Considering the gigabytes of information most users world wide have probably already been collected and stored, this may be closing the barn door after all the horses have escaped.
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I agree with you to an extent but this the gigabytes collected has a short shelf life for marketing purposes. Knowing someone was searching for hi-chairs or visiting new car websites 18 months ago doesn’t tell you very much about their current needs.
 
DoctorTech said:
I agree with you to an extent but this the gigabytes collected has a short shelf life for marketing purposes. Knowing someone was searching for hi-chairs or visiting new car websites 18 months ago doesn’t tell you very much about their current needs.
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In a previous job, years and years ago, I worked for a Direct Mail business, more commonly a junk mailer. The company didn’t generate the mailing lists, they bought them. But they frequently would cross match them with other databases, things like the city directory, or the telephone book company and so now they knew where you lived, and how long, and the general income and racial makeup of your area. This was in the early 1990’s. Today there are hundreds of databases that you are a part of. Each with a different set of information but all of it tied to you. And a lot of that data isn’t of the ‘I searched for galoshes’ type of information, it’s a lot more permanent. Where you work, how long, your employees record, family, friends, where you want to school, did you graduate, have you EVER (not just within the last 7 years) declared bankruptcy.....
 
EdT said:
In a previous job, years and years ago, I worked for a Direct Mail business, more commonly a junk mailer. The company didn’t generate the mailing lists, they bought them. But they frequently would cross match them with other databases, things like the city directory, or the telephone book company and so now they knew where you lived, and how long, and the general income and racial makeup of your area. This was in the early 1990’s. Today there are hundreds of databases that you are a part of. Each with a different set of information but all of it tied to you. And a lot of that data isn’t of the ‘I searched for galoshes’ type of information, it’s a lot more permanent. Where you work, how long, your employees record, family, friends, where you want to school, did you graduate, have you EVER (not just within the last 7 years) declared bankruptcy.....
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And a few final things: The companies that compiled those databases own the information, not you. It may be about you but they collected and collated it. Courts have held that it legally is theirs. They have no legal responsibility to ensure that the information is accurate, and if it isn't they are not legally required to correct it. And they also don't have to let you see it if they don't want to. It's their product, you want to see it, pay for it. Because of bad publicity a few of them have gotten into, some are letting you view ***some*** of the information they have on you. It's generally the innocuous information that if it is wrong they will change it. But that doesn't change the hundreds of other databases that used that bad data to populate their record of you. It can take a long time to clear up misinformation.

For the most part, they want the information accurate. But they aren't going to go out of their way if you find something glaringly wrong. Most people don't have the money or time to fight to correct things like that. And a few people here and there isn't going to hurt their bottom line.
 
donovumovi said:
Privacy is the true killer feature, not Animojis
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There at Apple must be a high tear cazy manager addicted to Animoji's. Kinda Manga for Japs.

The built in security features will be indeed good. Better as different Safari plugins which can have security holes or calling home. You can choose where the home is: Rusia, China, US.

More important is that Apple should document the introduced features. In iOS 11 are a lot of switches in "Safari experimental features" but I cannot find a detailed explanation what each switch invoke and trigger. One journalist of a very frequented tech site made a list of switches names an copied the iOS adjacent descriptions..... Wonder if his boss can read.
 
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EdT said:
In a previous job, years and years ago, I worked for a Direct Mail business, more commonly a junk mailer. The company didn’t generate the mailing lists, they bought them. But they frequently would cross match them with other databases, things like the city directory, or the telephone book company and so now they knew where you lived, and how long, and the general income and racial makeup of your area. This was in the early 1990’s. Today there are hundreds of databases that you are a part of. Each with a different set of information but all of it tied to you. And a lot of that data isn’t of the ‘I searched for galoshes’ type of information, it’s a lot more permanent. Where you work, how long, your employees record, family, friends, where you want to school, did you graduate, have you EVER (not just within the last 7 years) declared bankruptcy.....
Click to expand...
You make a very valid point about the problem of too much information residing beyond the control of the people the data pertains / belongs to. I whole heartedly agree with you. I still welcome this step by Apple to reduce the stream of fresh data that is being logged by websites and sold to marketers. It is a step in the right direction even though I wish the step had been taken long ago.
 
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