Browsers
Safari privacy rating
Apple's browser for macOS and iOS, built on the open-source WebKit engine.
Summary
Safari scores 63 out of 100 (grade C) on the browsers criteria. It meets 3 of 8 criteria: no ads or data sales, fingerprinting protection and timely security updates. It partly meets open source, no trackers or telemetry, blocks trackers by default and no calls to big-tech services. It does not meet independent audit. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.
Score 63 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
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Partial
Open source Weight 3 of 3
Is all the source code needed to run the product public?
The WebKit engine is open source. Safari itself is not.
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Partial
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
No third-party trackers in the app, and sharing device analytics with Apple is opt-in. Apple web pages load Apple's own analytics (ac-analytics, sent to metrics.apple.com) by default.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
No ads in the browser. Apple states it does not sell personal data.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Partial
Blocks trackers by default Weight 3 of 3
Are third-party trackers blocked by default, without installing extensions?
Intelligent Tracking Prevention limits cross-site tracking by default but does not block tracker requests.
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Yes
Fingerprinting protection Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser defend against fingerprinting by default?
Standardizes fingerprinting data by default, such as limiting fonts to system and web fonts and freezing the user agent string.
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Partial
No calls to big-tech services Weight 2 of 3
Does the browser work without background connections to Google, Microsoft or Apple services?
Fraudulent Website Warning sends data to Google Safe Browsing and Apple, and can be turned off. Safari is built into Apple's operating systems and services.
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Yes
Timely security updates Weight 3 of 3
Are security fixes from the upstream engine shipped quickly and automatically?
Security fixes ship in Apple software updates, which can install automatically.