Apple has issued a strong warning to iPhone users, urging them to drop Google Chrome in favour of Safari, which the company says delivers stronger, built-in privacy protections. The tech giant argues that Safari shields users from digital fingerprinting, AI-driven tracking, and location harvesting, all while remaining fully compatible with Google apps, making it a safer option for anyone concerned about data privacy.
According to Apple, the browser's core advantage lies in its ability to block digital fingerprinting, a tracking method that stitches together fragments of device information to create a unique user profile. Safara, Apple says, limits this practice by masking system details. "More devices appear identical to trackers, making it harder to single yours out," the company explained.
What Is Digital Fingerprinting?
This covert technique pulls together data points such as browser version, installed fonts, operating system, and hardware specifics to build an identified signature. It enables advertisers and websites to follow users across the internet, even in private browsing or with cookies disabled. Apple's warning comes as Google lifts certain fingerprinting restrictions in Chrome, renewing scrutiny of the tracking method.
Safari's Additional Privacy Tools
Beyond fingerprinting protection, Safari also offers AI-based defences against tracking, stronger safeguards against location harvesting, and an upgraded private-browsing experience. Apple maintains that Chrome lacks equivalent layers of protection. In a pointed comparison, the company also noted that Safari works smoothly with popular Google productivity tools like Google Sheets, Google Slides, and Google Docs, a subtle rebuke aimed at Chrome's compatibility advantage. The caution, Apple added, extends to Google apps as well.
Industry Context
Apple is not the only company taking aim at fingerprinting. Browsers such as Mozilla Firefox have introduced similar technology that cloaks device attributes to thwart tracking efforts. The renewed attention highlights the escalating privacy challenges confronting users as tracking techniques grow more sophisticated.
As concerns about digital surveillance rise, Apple is encouraging users to rethink their browser habits, pitching Safari's blend of anti-tracking features, AI protections, and privacy-first design as a stronger shield. For iPhone users wary of online monitoring, the company suggests that shifting from Chrome and Safari could offer meaningful added protection.
