Almost half of the world's most popular websites are at risk
Image via ITPro
Apple recently unveiled it's soon-to-come OS update called MacOS 10.14 Mojave, and it comes equipped with a new set of Safari parameters to keep web tracking under control.
Introduced last year to the chagrin of many advertisers, Apple's intelligent tracking protection is getting a boost in personal security. For instance, when you use websites with buttons to like and share stories, Safari will intervene to prevent those tools from slurping in your behavioral data unless you permit it.
"These can be used to track you, whether you click on them or not. So this year, we are shutting that down," said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, speaking to thousands of developers at WWDC in San Jose, California. He then showed how Safari will present an alert saying, "Do you want to allow Facebook.com to use cookies and website data?"
"We believe your private data should remain private," Federighi also said. "Not because you've done something wrong or have something to hide, but because you have a lot of sensitive data on your devices and we think you should be the the one in charge of who sees it."
The new Safari will make it harder for data trackers to fingerprint the combination of parameters that can help fingerprint you for tracking purposes. And it's not only Apple taking steps to improve personal security. Mozilla is on board, too.
According to CNET, "Apple is helping to lead the web privacy push, but it's hardly alone. Mozilla is adding a number of new privacy features to its Firefox browser this year, and Brave Software -- even more aggressive about privacy -- is taking new measures to keep your online information your own. Privacy has rarely been a top reason for people to buy or choose software, but it's rising up the priority list as revelations like the Facebook scandal involving Cambridge Analytica data harvesting show just how lousy our online privacy is."