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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Monday 17 SepteMber 2018

Apple, Firefox tools aim to thwart Facebook, Google tracking

By ANICK JESDANUN though its plans for Android
NEW YORK (AP) — Face- are not yet known. For now,
book and other companies you need to turn it on or use
routinely track your online a private-browsing mode,
surfing habits to better tar- which gets more aggres-
get ads at you. Two web sive at killing cookies, in-
browsers now want to help cluding useful ones.
you fight back in what's be- For PCs, Firefox also has an
coming an escalating pri- optional add-on, called
vacy arms race. Facebook Container, to
New protections in Apple's segregate your Facebook
Safari and Mozilla's Firefox activity from everything
browsers aim to prevent else. Think of it as a wall that
companies from turning prevents Facebook from
"cookie" data files used to accessing its data cookie
store sign-in details and as you surf elsewhere. A
preferences into broader version is available for other
trackers that take note of trackers, too, but requires
what you read, watch and configuration on your part.
research on other sites. None of the Firefox tools,
Lance Cottrell, creator of though, address fingerprint-
the privacy service Ano- ing. Unsurprisingly, advertis-
nymizer, said Apple's effort ers aren't happy.
was particularly significant, In a statement, Interactive
as it takes aim at a tech- Advertising Bureau execu-
nique developed by track- In this June 4, 2018, photo Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, tive Dennis Buchheim said
speaks during an announcement of new products at the Apple Worldwide Developers Confer-
ing companies to override ence in San Jose, Calif. that even as browsers mak-
users' attempts to delete Associated Press ers feel pressured to deliver
their cookies. privacy-centric features,
Safari makes these protec- signing data security tools that some popular web- cookies can appear in un- they should consider the
tions automatic in updates for phones, said imperfect sites are embedded with expected places, such as importance of advertising
coming Tuesday to iPhones protection is better than more than 70 such track- sites that embed "like" and in enabling free services.
and iPads and a week later no protection. He notes ers. Many of these are from "share" buttons. Now, those The new Safari and Firefox
to Mac computers. Firefox that burglars can still break Facebook and Google, cookies will be blocked un- tools don't block ads. But
has similar protections on down a door, but that which are expected to til you click on one of those without cookies, websites
Apple mobile devices and doesn't mean you shouldn't command a combined 57 buttons, in which case you'll might get paid a lot less
is rolling out them out to bother locking it. percent of the $107 billion be prompted for permis- for them, said Jed Williams,
personal computers in the Cookies and other trackers U.S. digital advertising mar- sion to allow the tracking. If chief innovation officer at
coming months. can be used by companies ket this year, according to you don't, your "like" won't the Local Media Associa-
To get the protections, to keep track of who you the research group eMar- register. tion, an industry group for
you'll have to break your are as you move from web- keter. Safari is also attacking a news publishers.
habit of using Google's site to website. The compa- Though general aware- technique developed to Apple and Mozilla are able
Chrome browser, which by nies can build a digital pro- ness of data collection has circumvent cookie dele- to push the boundaries on
some estimates has more file as you, say, read about grown in the wake of Face- tions. Through "fingerprint- privacy because neither
than half of the worldwide Democratic or Republican book's Cambridge Analyti- ing," a company can iden- depends on advertising.
browser usage. Safari and viewpoints, buy a particu- ca privacy scandal , how tify you through your com- Google makes most of its
Firefox have less than 20 lar brand of pet food or in- trackers work behind the puter's characteristics, such money from selling ads.
percent combined. dulge in the entire season scenes remains a mystery as browser type and fonts Facebook and Google
Even then, Safari and of "Keeping Up With The to many people. installed. Your new cookie declined comment on the
Firefox can't entirely stop Kardashians." Ghostery and other prod- can then be tied to your Safari and Firefox tools. But
tracking. For starters, they News, video and other ucts have long offered old profile. Safari will now Google said its Chrome
won't block tracking when third-party sites use Google tracking protection. The limit the technical details it browser offers tools to con-
you're using Facebook or and Facebook cookies to browsers are now trying to sends. trol and delete cookies and
Google itself. Nor can they customize ads to your hob- incorporate that directly so Firefox has an anti-tracking set preferences for certain
help much when you use bies and interests, rather you don't have to go look- feature that also tries to websites. Google says users
phone or tablet apps, un- than hawking products you ing for browser add-ons. distinguish tracking cook- can also decline person-
less the app happens to might never buy. That's why Safari will try to automati- ies from useful ones. It's on alization and get generic
embed Safari, as Twitter's you might see an ad for cally distinguish cookies by default only on Apple's ads instead, though track-
iPhone app does. shoes soon after searching that are useful from ones mobile devices. Mozilla is ing continues in the back-
But Will Strafach, a mobile for them elsewhere. that are there just to track testing a broader rollout ground while using the
security expert who is de- Apple says its tests show you. Apple notes that for personal computers, company's services.q