# Google and iPhone Tracking **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 18, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-and-iphone-tracking/613243 "2012-02-18T13:27:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-and-iphone-tracking/613243/1 "2012-02-18T13:27:09Z")
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. Here’s a story from[UPI](http://www.upi.com/Technology_News/2012/02/17/Lawmakers-riled-by-Google-iPhone-tracking/UPI-92341329500242/?spt=hts&or=5) 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? ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-and-iphone-tracking/613243/2 "2012-02-18T13:33:48Z")
OK I found how how it worked 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. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-and-iphone-tracking/613243/3 "2012-02-18T14:26:56Z")
Yes, Google was [exploiting a bug in Safari and it looks like Apple is going to fix it](http://www.macrumors.com/2012/02/17/google-under-fire-for-circumvention-of-cookie-settings-in-safari-for-ios-to-track-users/). Quoting the article at my link (which in turn is basing its information on an article in the Wall Street Journal), > [@](#): > > [T]he loophole that had permitted Google to bypass Safari’s privacy protections has been closed in WebKit, the open source engine behind Safari, with the change having been made by two Google engineers. Consequently, Apple could and appears to be preparing to bring that fix to the public version of Safari.