I did a search for this topic but didn’t see a thread. In case there is one, please let me know and close this one…
It appears that Google and other advertising companies have been bypassing privacy settings of people using Apple’s web browser on their iPhones and computers.
The code tricks Apple’s Safari into letting them monitor many users. Safari is the most used browser on mobile devices. And once the code is activated it allows Google to track a large number of other websites.
So what is the deal with this? I am not that concerned really, but it seems odd that you can have privacy settings and then fix it so someone can code to follow it or not. I realize that a lot of the web is built, or was built, with the idea that things would do as stated.
For instance, you can put codes in your site that they not be indexed. And though Google would obey that code, not all spiders would.
Any thoughts or simple explanations how this was done?
Safari automatically blocks third party cookies. Those are cookies not by the site. So for instance, if you blocked third party cookies, and went to the SD, the SD could set a cookie but not say DoubleClick.
Google says that because Safari automatically blocks third party cookies they don’t need to change the Safari settings to block third party cookies to opt out of Google tracking
However Google exploited a loophole, which allows an advertiser to place a third party cookie if the Safari user had any interaction with the ad.
Doubleclick (which Google owns) would falsely make it appear the user was interacting with the ad, by automatically sending an invisible form.
Safari thus allowed the cookie to be installed.
After that clients who use Doubleclick were open to read data and exchange cookies.