Apple cracked down on cross-site tracking, iOS 17 online link tracking protection function

CTOnews.com, June 18, have you ever noticed that when you browse or copy a link on the Internet, there will be some incomprehensible characters at the end of it. These characters are actually parameters that advertisers use to track your behavior. They can record where you came from, where you went, what you clicked, and so on. In this way, advertisers can push customized ads to you according to your preferences and habits.

To protect users' privacy, Apple has introduced a new feature called Link tracking Protection (Link Tracking Protection) in its latest iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma systems. This feature automatically deletes tracking parameters in URL in Safari private browsing mode, message and email applications, making links simple and clean. In this way, when users browse or share links online, they will not be recognized by advertisers.

CTOnews.com noted that Apple demonstrated the effect of this feature at the developer conference. A URL with the "click_id" parameter, after being protected by link tracking, leaves only the basic URL. Apple said that this feature is to prevent cross-site tracking, and will not affect the normal use of links.

IOS 17 and macOS Sonoma systems will be officially released later this year, and beta versions have been made available to developers.