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Apple and Privacy issues

I've been an Apple guy since the beginning, always felt smug about how reliable their platform was and how Apple treated customers with respect and honored the highest standards of privacy.

Lately there has been a growing problem with Apple, probably some of you using Apple for music or movies know about this but seems most do not.

For instance, the new Apple (Safari) browser will load Google track cookies even if you choose Ixquick (private browser) as primary and Yahoo as backup.

This occurs if Safari is loaded and UNUSED in 15 minutes or less. In other words there is an autoload of Google track cookies before you use the browser or visit any web site.

I searched forums at Apple and other computer sites and there are a few people aware of this. Seems it occurred in the last 30 days or so via automated updates of system and Safari browser software.

Worse still, the latest version of Apple system software (Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard) DOES NOT allow removal of Google cookies, even via security tab when you select and press delete.

As if that were not enough, the CIA and Google are building a massive network to track all internet traffic. They refer to it as "Predictive Analytics."

I'm an honest person, nothing to hide but I resent the attack on privacy this represents. I'll continue to use Ixquick and have switched to Firefox as my primary browser and removed Safari from my menu bar.

Never thought I would see the day I griped about Apple, I've never owned anything else and now they are looking worse than Microsoft with their privacy snooping.

Google/CIA
128x128Ag insider logo xs@2xalbertporter

Showing 1 response by jamscience

jamscience
95 posts
 

Albert,

I agree with your concerns. I believe this behavior started with the 5.0.1 update.

That's just one of the reasons I use a nice little donationware program called Safari Cookies. It gives me complete control of which cookies I want to keep and which ones to automatically delete when Safari quits (or delete manually before I quit).

(just one of the features listed from the website) - Safari Cookies will automatically remove all Google Analytics cookies when quitting Safari.

If you want to prevent Google from loading its analytics in the first place, you can use (read: should be using anyway) Little Snitch to block access to those specific areas of Google. It costs $30 for a single user. It works for any connection (not just Safari). Without Little Snitch you are really never sure to whom you are connecting to.

Granted, Apple should have informed everyone about the auto-connection to Google, the intentions behind doing so and a way to turn it off in the preferences. But until Apple does come clean, at least there is a way of defeating this without having to switch to yet another application.

Chris
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