Safari Battles Browser Fingerprinting and Tracking on macOS Mojave

by Chris Hoffman on

Safari will soon better protect your privacy online. New changes prevent websites from uniquely identifying your browser, and restrict tracking scripts from sites like Facebook from running without your explicit consent.

You won’t even notice the fingerprinting protection, but it it’s there to make tracking you more difficult. Websites will see simplified system configuration information and only the standard macOS system fonts. Safari doesn’t support legacy browser plug-ins anymore, either.

Some trackers on websites use all this information in an attempt to uniquely identify your browser, letting them track you and serve personalized ads across multiple websites. This type of fingerprinting works even if you clear your cookies. Safari’s new restrictions will make it much more difficult for websites to uniquely identify your Mac.

Safari will also prevent tracking buttons—for example, from Facebook—from loading on websites until you explicitly click them. If you want to use Facebook features on a website, you’ll get a prompt asking if you want Facebook.com to access your cookies and website data. If you don’t allow that access, Facebook won’t be able to track your browsing activities online—even if you’re signed into Facebook while browsing.

Chris Hoffman is a technology writer and all-around computer geek. He's as at home using the Linux terminal as he is digging into the Windows registry. Connect with him on Twitter.