User privacy is a very serious issue for Apple; removing this option from its browser seems to reinforce this posture
Apple has decided to remove from its
browser the function Do Not Track
(DNT), which allows the user to disable the online activity tracking software
present on many Internet pages. The company introduced support for DNT IOS 7,
but eliminated the feature on Safari 12.1, reported network
security specialists from the International Institute of Cyber
Security.
Although it may seem like a good idea, DNT main
problem is that this request is voluntary and browsers decide whether to apply
or ignore it, so there are no penalties for companies that decide to disregard
these requests.
The DuckDuckGo
browser, specially designed to preserve users’ privacy, considers that the
voluntary nature of the DNT request “is equivalent to leaving open the doors of
a house and placing a sign that says ‘Do not enter, please’, being practically
useless in reality.”
Still, network security specialists claim that
most people who hold the DNT request are unaware that compliance with this
function is subject to the browser decision and web pages, so it is effectively
fulfilled in very few cases users believe that their data is safe, but they are
not really.
Sites like Facebook, Google or Twitter are
among the services that ignore the DNT request; on the other hand, platforms
such as Pinterest or Reddit have been shown to comply with these requests.
There are some extenuating circumstances: a
bank can track the user’s activity to detect possible illegitimate actions,
while advertisers ‘ networks can follow up to avoid the so-called “click
fraud”.
Apple is taking some alternative measures. In a
statement, the company stressed that this decision is due to the companies
interested in this follow-up work have found a way to dodge the protection
provided by DNT requests (for example, the characteristics of the user’s
device, As a brand, model and operating system, they can be used to track your
online activity.
Among the measures that the company has taken
are:
- Safari
users will be warned when they visit sites that do not have SSL - Safari
warns users when they try to visit sites identified as malicious - Safari
will now register people on sites automatically when the AutoComplete with
password function completes the credentials of a site
This commitment to privacy is good for users
and good for many companies; as considered by specialists in network security.
