Safari in New Versions of iOS and macOS Includes Full Third-Party Cookie Blocking
Safari in macOS 10.15.4 and iOS and iPadOS 13.4 includes enhancements to Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature that allow for full third-party cookie blocking, Apple's WebKit team said today in a new blog post.
Cookies for cross-site resources are blocked by default in the new versions of Safari, introducing significant privacy improvements because it further cuts down on cross-site tracking functionality.
It might seem like a bigger change than it is. But we've added so many restrictions to ITP since its initial release in 2017 that we are now at a place where most third-party cookies are already blocked in Safari. To keep supporting cross-site integration, we shipped the Storage Access API two years ago to provide the means for authenticated embeds to get cookie access with mandatory user control. It is going through the standards process in the W3C Privacy Community Group right now.
The new cookie blocking feature makes sure there's no Intelligent Tracking Prevention state that can be detected through cookie blocking behavior as it removes statefulness, and it also prevents an attacker from seeing ITP status.
Safari's default cookie policy requires a third-party to have "seeded" its cookie jar as first-party before it can use cookies as third-party. This means the absence of cookies in a third-party request can be due to ITP blocking existing cookies or the default cookie policy blocking cookies because the user never visited the website, the website's cookies have expired, or because the user or ITP has explicitly deleted the website's cookies.
Thus, the absence of cookies in a third-party request outside the attacker's control is not proof that the third-party domain is classified by ITP.
Safari is the first mainstream browser to fully block third-party cookies by default, and Apple's WebKit team wants to pave the way for other browsers to do the same, so it plans to report on the experiences of full third-party cookie blocking to W3C privacy groups in an effort to help other browsers make the change as well.
More info on the changes implemented in Safari for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS today can be found in the full blog post.
Popular Stories
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition.
The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products.
Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released.
iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports.
Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Black Friday is just a few hours away, and as always this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a...
