Apple is enhancing the privacy of Safari links.
A new anti-tracking technology is being added to the Safari browser in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma to prevent users from being tracked through hyperlinks.
URL tracking tags will now be automatically erased when surfing in a private Safari tab, as well as when using Mail or Messages, as was briefly mentioned during Apple's WWDC 2023 keynote. In a manner similar to how a browser cookie functions, these tags are automatically added to the end of a URL in order to track the origin of visitors to a specific website.
These innocuous tags enable websites to deliver targeted advertisements and track which sources are most effective at bringing users to their pages. But there's no denying that this amounts to user tracking across the web, which many people, including Apple, don't like.
Good for users, somewhat detrimental to advertisers
In earlier iterations of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems, such as when Apple launched its App Tracking Transparency option for apps, we saw similar anti-tracking technologies. A feature that applies only to Safari would not have as much of an impact on user privacy as a system that applies to all iPhone apps, but it still might.
Apple will provide a more all-encompassing Private Click Measurement value as a compromise for advertising. While this doesn't provide any personal information, it does provide some insight into the factors that drive users to a given website.
We now have more new features to anticipate from Apple's software ecosystem thanks to WWDC 2023. The best iOS 17 additions to yet are a new Journal app and a StandBy mode, while iPadOS 17 will revamp the Lock Screen and add support for external cameras. Through new collaborations with developers and a new conversion system that makes PC games compatible with Macs, macOS Sonoma enhances desktop widgets and gaming on Macs.
