Apple disclosed a myriad of powerful privacy and security upgrades, among them comprehensive improvements to Safari Private Browsing, Communication Safety, and Lockdown Mode, as well as heightened app privacy. Apple has also rolled out new privacy and security-centric features, such as Check In, NameDrop, and Live Voicemail. These innovative strides underscore Apple’s steadfast conviction that privacy is a fundamental human right and that effective privacy measures are reliant on robust security.
“Every new Apple product and feature is designed with privacy in mind from the onset,” stated Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Our primary focus is to ensure our users retain control over their data by persistently providing leading-edge privacy features and unrivaled data security. This ethos is prominently reflected in our platform features, like the substantial updates to Safari Private Browsing and the broader application of Lockdown Mode.”
Enhanced Privacy Features Empower Users with More Control over Their Data
Significant Overhaul of Safari Private Browsing
Safari led the way with private browsing capabilities well before other browsers. This year, it sees a pivotal update, offering superior protection against tracking while browsing, and against potential unauthorized access to the device. Enhanced tracking and fingerprinting safeguards have been implemented to further hinder websites from identifying or tracking the user’s device. Now, Private Browsing automatically locks after inactivity, enabling users to keep tabs open even when stepping away from their device.
Improved Privacy Permissions for Photos
A newly embedded Photos picker enables users to share specific photos with apps while maintaining the privacy of the rest of their library. When apps request access to the user’s entire photo library, the user will now receive more detailed information about what will be shared and will receive intermittent reminders about their selection.
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Link Tracking Protection Across Messages, Mail, and Safari Private Browsing
Websites often add extra information to URLs to track users across different sites. This information will now be removed from links shared via Messages and Mail, and these links will continue to function as expected. This data will also be stripped from links in Safari Private Browsing.
App Privacy Advancements
New tools now allow developers to gain more insight into the data practices of third-party software development kits (SDKs) used in their apps. This enhances their ability to provide accurate Privacy Nutrition Labels. These changes also bolster the integrity of the software supply chain, introducing support for third-party SDK signatures for additional protection against misuse.
Communication Safety
The Communication Safety feature now extends protection to video content, in addition to still images. It warns children when receiving or sending content in Messages that contains nudity. A new API allows developers to integrate Communication Safety into their own apps. Furthermore, it aids in keeping children safe when they are sending or receiving an AirDrop, a FaceTime video message, and when using the Phone app to receive a Contact Poster and the Photos picker to select content to send. Image and video processing for Communication Safety is performed entirely on the device, meaning neither Apple nor any third party has access to the content.
Sensitive Content Warning
The Sensitive Content Warning is designed to help adult users avoid seeing unwanted nude images and videos when receiving them in Messages, an AirDrop, a FaceTime video message, or the Phone app when receiving a Contact Poster. This uses the same privacy-preserving technology at the core of Communication Safety. The feature is optional and can be activated by the user in Privacy & Security settings.
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