Tracking by online advertising networks or companies is a major talking point these days. To somewhat prevent user tracking, companies are implementing more and more functionality to ensure user privacy.
So has Apple added some privacy features in the Safari browser on an iPhone (iOS) that make tracking difficult.
You can enable these privacy features to prevent your iPhone from being tracked across the internet. This is how it works.
Prevent websites from tracking you via Safari on iPhone
You can find the privacy and security features for Safari in the Safari settings in iOS. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Then open Safari and navigate to “Privacy and security” at the bottom.
Here you will see several features to make tracking more difficult.
Prevent tracking
Safari in iOS 11 introduces a new feature to prevent tracking of visitor data. This is intended to protect your privacy and make it more difficult for companies to track your surfing behavior across multiple websites.
Hide IP address
By setting this feature to “for trackers,” Safari automatically hides your IP address from known trackers. In addition, the IP address is protected against trackers and websites in Safari if you qualify for this as an iCloud+ subscriber. If this option is disabled, the IP address your iPhone uses to access the Internet will not be hidden.
Block all cookies
If you enable this feature, Safari will block all cookies that websites can store on your iPhone. This is not recommended because many websites no longer work after blocking all cookies. Enabling this feature will disable “prevent tracking” as there is nothing left to track.
Report fraudulent websites
If you use your iPhone to reach a website that is trying to scam you. This includes websites that engage in phishing or are known to be dangerous. Then Safari will notify you and block this website.
Protect privacy in advertising
More and more websites are doing targeted advertising. These websites do this via an advertising network that tracks your device. If you regularly purchase a certain website or product, you will see targeted advertising. Enabling this feature makes it more difficult to show you targeted advertisements.
I hope this information has helped you decide which one privacy feature you in Safari want to use on an iPhone or not. Thank you for reading!
Also read: Manage Safari extensions on an iPhone.