macOSX Browsers Safari 11

Safari 11: Privacy and Personalization

Released on September 19, 2017, Safari 11 was a major leap forward for Mac users on macOS High Sierra, Sierra, and even OS X El Capitan. This version turned the browser into a proactive protector of your data, introducing features that are now industry standards.

The Debut of Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP)

The most significant addition in Safari 11 was Intelligent Tracking Prevention.

• Stopping the Follow: Using on-device machine learning, Safari began identifying and blocking the trackers that follow you from site to site.

• Clean Browsing: This meant that an ad you saw on one site would no longer haunt you across the rest of the web, significantly increasing your online privacy.

Silencing the Web: Auto-Play Blocking

We’ve all experienced the frustration of a video suddenly blaring audio when you open a new tab. Safari 11 introduced a powerful Auto-Play blocking tool.

• Stop the Noise: By default, Safari stops videos with audio from playing automatically on most websites.

• Your Rules: You can choose to "Allow All Auto-Play," "Stop Media with Sound," or "Never Auto-Play" on a site-by-site basis.

Per-Website Customization

Safari 11 introduced a "Settings for This Website" menu that gave users unprecedented control. With a single click, you could permanently set a specific site to:

• Always use Reader Mode for a clean, ad-free experience.

• Adjust Page Zoom so the text is always the perfect size.

• Enable Content Blockers specifically for that domain.

Technical Highlights

• WebRTC Support: This update brought support for the WebRTC standard, allowing for plugin-free video and audio conferencing directly in the browser.

• Updated Media Controls: The HTML5 video and audio player controls were redesigned to be cleaner and more accessible.

• Improved AutoFill: Safari 11 became much smarter at accurately filling out web forms using information from your Contacts.