17 February 2012

Google tricks Apple's Safari

The privacy woes keep coming for Mountain View, as news emerged Google has been sidestepping Apple's Safari browser privacy settings thanks to the help of a special workaround code, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Google and other ad companies managed to skirt Apple's privacy code when Google+ users clicked +1 buttons while signed in around the web.
Safari's default privacy settings are such that sites such as Google are prevented from placing tracking cookies.

However, Google's workaround code circumvented Safari's default settings by making it seem as though a user were submitting a form to Google - a practice which under Safari's default settings allows for the use of cookies.

According to Google rep Rachel Whetstone, the web giant's goal was to ensure any information passing between Safari and Google servers was anonymous - however, the Wall Street Journal went on to argue even blank cookies could result in extensive tracking.

Following the revelation, critics have also been quick to argue that regardless of intentions there are few, if any, legitimate cases for Google's workaround techniques.

In response to the article, Google issued a statement to the paper saying: "The Journal mischaracterizes what happened and why. We used known Safari functionality to provide features that signed-in Google users had enables. It's important to stress that these advertising cookies do not collect personal information."

Apple also told the WSJ: "We are aware that some third parties are circumventing Safari's privacy features and we are working to put a stop to it."

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