#SAFARI BROWSER RUNS RISK NEW INTERNET SOFTWARE#

Those updates are slated for release this fall, and even then Mojave won't work on computers more than seven years old.Įven if you're on a device that's capable of giving you these protections, the features are only available on the Safari browser on a Mac, iPhone or iPad.

See all photos Only in Safari, only with MacOS Mojave or iOS 12Īpple's new features aren't available to every web user, and not even to every Apple user.Īpple is making these protections available on Macs running MacOS Mojave, as well as iPhones and iPads running iOS 12. When it comes to plugins, Apple will only share whether you're running Flash, for example. Instead, Safari will create a type of virtual camouflage by handing out the information for all users. Now, Apple said it'll also control the information your browser gives out about fonts and plugins too, which will hide part of your device's digital fingerprint.

#SAFARI BROWSER RUNS RISK NEW INTERNET SOFTWARE#

In previous years' software updates, Apple stopped websites and third parties from accessing information from your browser called the user agent string, or a series of of data that's specific to your browser. But it's also a powerful tracking tool that works even if you've taken steps to cover your tracks, like deleting your cookies or using a private browsing window. That's helpful for a bank, for example, to detect fraud. There's also a technology called fingerprinting, which is a technique to identify you based on the information your browser sends to websites when surfing around the web.įor example, using a combination of information on the fonts you have installed, what software you're using and which plug-ins your browser can run can help to identify your machine rather well.Įvery time you go back to a website using that browser, virtual fingerprinting identifies you as the same person.

Watch this: MacOS gets better privacy and security featuresĬookies aren't the only way you can be tracked, by the way.

Safari browser runs risk new internet