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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday August 14 2018, @05:43PM   Printer-friendly
from the can-you-ID-me-now? dept.

Browser fingerprinting is where JavaScript or other means are used to scrape uniquely identifying information from the browser metadata and functions such as how it draws a canvas object. In it's latest release Apple will defeat browser fingerprinting by making all Mac users look alike to advertisers and websites that use fingerprinting to track users. Apple can afford to do this as it doesn't have skin in the online advertising game.

[This is likely only going to be for the Safari browser. - Ed]


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by nwf on Tuesday August 14 2018, @06:32PM (3 children)

    by nwf (1469) on Tuesday August 14 2018, @06:32PM (#721470)

    I don't think they care about undermining Google and Facebook. I think they've heard complaints from non-technical users that find the web advertising model very creepy and of no value. They are responding to those users' complaints and are trying to make the web better for them. This does help them look better in the press, for sure, but it's definitely in keeping with their recent privacy push.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @08:14PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 14 2018, @08:14PM (#721512)

    Will it improve the actual experience? The only ads with a sufficiently universal appeal are from porn and viagra right? How many people want more of that?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 15 2018, @03:09PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 15 2018, @03:09PM (#721809)

      Irrelevant. I know the url for pornhub by heart. How will advertizing help here?

  • (Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday August 15 2018, @01:10AM

    by driverless (4770) on Wednesday August 15 2018, @01:10AM (#721628)

    Apple will defeat browser fingerprinting by making all Mac users look alike

    Don't they already all look alike? Whenever I see a latte-sipping hipster kitted out with iEverything-you-can-buy I immediately know, "Apple user".