Is there a way to opt-in to the Global Privacy Control that works alongside the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2020, and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020? Is that necessary to be done with my using the Safari browser made by Apple? Am I already opted-in by default, or is there a specific setting that I can use to make it clear to ALL websites on the internet that this is my intention?
iPhone SE, iOS 17
I haven’t heard anyone say GPC is perfect. And no one will force you to use it, either. You are free to pass on it.
Yet it does offer something valuable to me, and I should not be prevented from making my own privacy choices.
FYI, I had occasion to read two privacy policies last week from respected national corporations with local stores for many years. Those ‘respectable’ websites did indeed offer a level of privacy. I would rate that level well below zero. They were scary bad. I would call it data rape. Yes, that bad.
First they raise the prices sky high to create interest for their ‘reward’s membership’ discounts. That worked. Trying to afford life, I inquired. I learned an ID plus email are required. The ID makes sure they can tie it to you and send ads, coupons, etc. These ‘discounts’ back off the inflated prices and get them back to the recent high levels. It’s blackmail, plain and simple. The ‘respectable’ privacy policies attached add up to data rape. It’s very calculated and amoral. And it is common and virtually unavoidable unless there is a tool like GPC to use. So, that’s how I came to be interested in GPC. That’s all just to give you some perspective. It doesn’t matter whether you or anyone thinks all that is A-OK.
What matters is that my privacy buddy Apple is denying me and you the right to make our own choices on GBC. The effort for Apple would be like the flick of a finger. Just a few lines of code in an update. Then each person decides for themselves. That is the American way, isn’t it?
I haven’t heard anyone say GPC is perfect. And no one will force you to use it, either. You are free to pass on it.
Yet it does offer something valuable to me, and I should not be prevented from making my own privacy choices.
FYI, I had occasion to read two privacy policies last week from respected national corporations with local stores for many years. Those ‘respectable’ websites did indeed offer a level of privacy. I would rate that level well below zero. They were scary bad. I would call it data rape. Yes, that bad.
First they raise the prices sky high to create interest for their ‘reward’s membership’ discounts. That worked. Trying to afford life, I inquired. I learned an ID plus email are required. The ID makes sure they can tie it to you and send ads, coupons, etc. These ‘discounts’ back off the inflated prices and get them back to the recent high levels. It’s blackmail, plain and simple. The ‘respectable’ privacy policies attached add up to data rape. It’s very calculated and amoral. And it is common and virtually unavoidable unless there is a tool like GPC to use. So, that’s how I came to be interested in GPC. That’s all just to give you some perspective. It doesn’t matter whether you or anyone thinks all that is A-OK.
What matters is that my privacy buddy Apple is denying me and you the right to make our own choices on GBC. The effort for Apple would be like the flick of a finger. Just a few lines of code in an update. Then each person decides for themselves. That is the American way, isn’t it?
That’s a really good question. Safari has a number of privacy features, some of which exceed the requirements of GPC. But keep in mind that GPC just is a way to tell sites you don’t want to be tracked. Not all sites honor those requests; I would guess that the vast majority of the billions of sites in the world do not, as it is only a requirement in California and Colorado. There are other browsers that do implement GPC, but remember that it is only meaningful when you visit sites that have agreed to honor it. Here is a link to the browsers that support GPC→https://globalprivacycontrol.org/#download
There are options in Safari to hide who you are when you visit sites; you can enable that in 2 places: Settings/Safari/Advanced/Advanced Tracking and Fingerprint Protection, and iCloud+ Private Relay. This will not prevent the site from using the information you enter to track you, but it will assure anonymity if you don’t identify yourself.
Here is more detailed information on Apple privacy features→Privacy - Apple
I was going on a Wired article that said there were. However, you are correct, I couldn’t find any.
From my perspective, GPC is mostly smoke and mirrors, along with SPF, DKIM and DMARC for email, each of which, when implemented, was the Next Great Thing to block spam. Have you noticed how effective they are? Google has just announced that starting next month gmail will block all incoming email that does not implement all 3-SPF, DKIM and DMARC. We’ll see if it makes a difference.
GPC says to websites “please don’t track me”. Sites do not have to honor it, and the ones most likely to honor it already have similar policies. The ones that don’t currently aren’t going to change. So the choice of Apple’s iCloud Private Relay, which hides who you are, or GPC, which reveals who you are, but says “don’t use the information I have just given you” leans towards Private Relay.
I agree it would be the best of both worlds if Apple implemented GPC, but GPC is much less than meets the eye. It does NOT require sites to honor it, unless the sites are hosted in California (but not if they are hosted in the Maldives). And I suspect the reason Apple has not implemented it is they feel it would provide a false sense of security.
My complaint with GPC is it promises much more than it delivers, and provides a false sense of security. Most “respectable” websites already provide some level of privacy. And the less respectable ones aren’t going to change their policies for no “stinkin’ GPC”.
I love my Apple protections and use them all. However, starting Jan 1, 2024 businesses are required to honor GPC and to do it without any further action my me than sending the signal. This is valuable. It stops the automatic data theft-sell-share. It provides benefits that are different from the Apple benefits. It doesn’t make Apple privacy obsolete. They can complement each other. The California Attorney General has started enforcement actions. I want Apple to add it to our arsenal. This is a very visible chance for Apple to make good on privacy and get a lot of goodwill. I don’t want to have to learn some other system to get GPC. But I will have to give up Private Relay and Safari for a browser with GPC and VPN if Apple won’t get on board.
I think the reality is more complex and less anonymous than you describe. Are you claiming my ISP cannot see my search or which site I go to? I use all those options. I like them. I also do not want to be profiled by trackers. About Global Privacy Control: No one can say how the enforcement will play out. But it is a law, not just a nice idea. I suggest people do some reading and learn the facts. A search will bring up Global Privacy Control.org. There is no need for private relay and Global privacy control to be positioned as choose one over the other. I have uses for both. I want both. Apple says respect and defend privacy and I totally agree. Let’s defend! GPC helps with that.
See my previous post on the subject of GPC. In addition there are Safari and Firefox extensions that implement GPC, such as DuckDuckGo
Yes, I did read your reply before I spoke. This week I spent many minutes trying to get GPC onto my phone. I could not find a single Safari extension with GPC. Kindly name some.
Global Privacy Control Opt-In?
