Apple's privacy-centric iPhone Safari app ad targets rival browsers

Apple has rolled out a new user privacy-centric Safari ad targeting how rival browsers are misusing user data to earn revenue.

Browsers are a wonderful platform for users to search for information, do banking activities, shop online, send messages and emails and do more with a few simple steps on phones and computers.

However, some browser developer companies keep a tab on search history and even the location of their users. They claim to keep them (in the form of cookies) to deliver a personalised experience and faster information. But, in reality, they offer user data on a platter to the highest bidder among advertising companies.

In return, users get targeted ads, which sometimes come off as creepy. Many would be shocked that the minute they search for a product on a web browser, they get flooded with targeted ads related to the searched product in their messages app, email inbox and even on the search engine apps.

However, with the Apple Safari browser, users will be free from such targeted ads across devices-- iPhones, iPads and Macs.

In the new ad titled 'Flock: Privacy on iPhone', Apple creatively shows how browsers track the users. A large flock of flying CCTV camera are monitoring every movement of the users' activities on their phones. And, once they switch to Safari on their iPhone, the CCTV camera blows up in the sky.

Have to credit Apple for its creative use of the 'flocking camera birds'. It takes a dig at Google's Chrome. In 2021, Google started testing new web technology- Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC).

Google said FLoC is less intrusive compared to the current practice in terms of user privacy. It also wants other browsers and website hosting companies to embrace new web technology. But, it faced a lot of backlash from privacy-centric browsers such as Brave, DuckDuckGo and others.

Later, Google dropped FloC and introduced new tool Topics.

With the latest security updates to Safari, the browser leverages Machine Learning to block search engines and third-party apps from tracking users on Apple devices.

Also, Safari can remove unique trackers from URLs in private browsing mode. Also, it can hide the device's IP address from known trackers.

Further, Safari prevents web extension apps from seeing user's browsing data. Users do not need to go to settings to activate this feature, as it is enabled by default. That's not all, Safari blocks all search engines from tracking location data of the device.

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