What Advertisers Think of Safari Anti-Tracking

Apple built a new Safari anti-tracking feature into its browser. Advertisers aren’t happy about it, which means it’s great for users (via AdAge).

[macOS: How to Prevent Tracking in Safari macOS High Sierra]

Safari Anti-Tracking

Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature got an upgrade. It now blocks social media like/share buttons, which can be used to track you across the web. It disables social media comment boxes too.

There’s also a feature called anti-fingerprinting. Basically, advertisers can track you even if you use adblockers. They can identify your computer details and browser details, including which browser extensions you have. This gives you a unique digital “fingerprint.”

But now Safari prevents this. Now when a website tries to get your computer details, it will only see a generic profile, with Craig Federighi saying, “As a result, your Mac will look like everybody else’s Mac, and it’ll be drastically more difficult for data companies to identify your device and track you.”

In the AdAge article, it mentions that this is “causing pain among marketers” because it’s now harder for them to figure out the return on investment (ROI) when it comes to ads. Translation: It’s now a bit harder for them to figure out how best to spend their ad money.

[Google Finds a Workaround for Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention]