Apple: Break Safari's privacy rules and we'll treat you like malware

[crazytown]

CNet, August 15, 2019
https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-break-safaris-privacy-rules-and-well-treat-you-like-malware/

Apple: Break Safari's privacy rules and we'll treat you like malware

(snip) Apple on Wednesday published a policy governing how its Safari browser will block advertisers and websites from tracking you online -- and it's got strong words for anyone who tries to thwart its approach.

Safari started blocking all such cross-site tracking two years ago, Brave has done so since its launch more than three years ago, Firefox started doing it in June, Microsoft is working on similar technology with Edge, and Google has begun something of a crackdown in Chrome. But websites can use sneaky methods like fingerprinting and supercookies to try to evade those privacy protections, and Apple doesn't like that one bit.

"We treat circumvention of shipping anti-tracking measures with the same seriousness as exploitation of security vulnerabilities. If a party attempts to circumvent our tracking prevention methods, we may add additional restrictions without prior notice," Apple's anti-tracking policy states. In other words, it's a data leakage hole Apple will try to close, and Safari might punish websites in different ways if they try to bypass Apple's approach.

(snip) "Good to have a bigco flexing that way," Brave Chief Executive and former Firefox leader Brendan Eich tweeted about Apple's move. Adapting web browsing to block privacy-invading tracking will be clash of the titans, he predicted. "The fight will come down to big vs. big, no doubt. Only a matter of time," Eich said.

[House of Roberts]

1. Don't try to eat the supercookies.

[crazytown]

2. "Don't eat the silver jelly bean!"

A joke about the jar of jelly beans Reagan kept on his desk.

[PJMcK]

3. Good and thanks, Apple

Websites and corporations track too much of our information already.