Skip to main content

Safari gets do-not-track feature

After three most popular browsers implemented the do-not-track feature – Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox – Apple is joining the party as well. A test version of Safari implemented this privacy feature that lets you opt out of tracking cookies used for targeted advertising, reports The Wall Street Journal:

The tool is included within the latest test release of Lion, a version of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system that is currently available only to developers. The final version of the operating system is scheduled to be released to the public this summer. Mentions of the do-not-track feature in Apple’s Safari browser began to appear recently in online discussion forums and on Twitter.

I guess this development will calm down privacy advocates who have been calling for a greater protection of online users.

//

I don’t know about you, but I won’t be using the do-not-track feature.

It’s not like I’m doing anything illegal on the web plus tracking cookies are often used to personalize web content and I don’t want to give up on that. Plus, the system is only as good as its weakest link.

What happens if an advertiser ignores my tracking preference? Will they be sanctioned?

I’ve got a feeling that the Federal Trade Commission hasn’t thought this through well enough.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel