Apple Safari to Block Google Analytics From Collecting Data
Apple’s latest version of macOS contains an updated version of the Safari browser that blocks trackers, including Google Analytics, from collecting user data.
The new version of macOS, called “Big Sur,” was announced this week at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). During the announcement Apple previewed Safari’s new privacy report feature.
Safari’s privacy report will list all trackers blocked by the browser on the website a user is currently visiting.
If you weren’t looking closely you may have missed it, but Apple specifically shows Google Analytics being blocked by Safari.
Here’s a screenshot from a press release Apple published yesterday:
As you can see, the new version of Safari blocks other popular trackers such as DoubleClick, Amazon, and Optimizely.
Apple is touting Safari’s privacy features as a major selling point of the new browser.
“Privacy has always been built into Safari, and a new Privacy Report delivers added visibility into how Safari protects browsing activity across the web.
Users can choose when and which websites a Safari extension can work with, and tools like data breach password monitoring never reveal your password information — not even to Apple.”
Apple is even going to let users of macOS Big Sur add a privacy report widget to their desktop for easy access at any time.
The privacy report widget contains a comprehensive list of all trackers blocked in the past seven days.
What Does This Mean for Marketers?
This change spells potential bad news for marketers and site owners, especially if a significant amount of their visitors use the Safari browser.
Losing data is never a good thing though, regardless of how much of a site’s audience uses Safari.
It’s a particularly valuable set of data when it comes to analyzing how Mac users engage with a website compared to users on other operating systems.
The silver lining is this update is only coming to the desktop version of Safari, which holds less that half the market share of mobile Safari.
Related: Safari Announces Full 3rd Party Cookie Blocking
Safari Market Share – Desktop vs. Mobile
As of May 2020, Safari holds 9.4% of desktop browser market share worldwide.
That number is slightly higher when looking at United States data where Safari holds 15.6% of the desktop market.
Many fewer people use Safari than Chrome, but Safari’s market share is not insignificant by any means. It’s still the second-most popular desktop web browser.
This update to Safari would have a much greater impact if it were rolled out to the mobile browser, however, as mobile Safari holds 24.4% market share world wide.
That number is over twice as high in the United States, where Safari is currently the most popular mobile web browser with a whopping 55% market share.
Blocking Google Analytics on mobile Safari would be an enormous hit to marketers’ data – but let’s not worry about that until we have to.
What Does This Mean for Advertising?
Apple has been on a push toward a more private browsing experience well before it’s latest announcement.
The company’s efforts to block trackers thus far has resulted in a 60% decrease in pricing for targeted Safari ads.
As Apple expands its tracker blocking capabilities in Safari, ads will become even harder to target which will likely drive the price down even further.
While that may benefit ad buyers, lower prices for ads means less money earned by websites publishing those ads.
Not to mention blocking trackers makes it challenging for advertisers to reach their intended audience.
Time will tell to what extent this change affects marketers.
There’s no release date set in stone for macOS Big Sur, but Apple’s major operating system updates typically roll out in the fall.
Source: Apple
Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API
Google has updated its Indexing API documentation with a clear warning about spam detection and the possible consequences of misuse.
Warning Against API Misuse The new message in the guide says:
“All submissions through the Indexing API are checked for spam. Any misuse, like using multiple accounts or going over the usage limits, could lead to access being taken away.”
This warning is aimed at people trying to abuse the system by exceeding the API’s limits or breaking Google’s rules.
What Is the Indexing API? The Indexing API allows websites to tell Google when job posting or livestream video pages are added or removed. It helps websites with fast-changing content get their pages crawled and indexed quickly.
But it seems some users have been trying to abuse this by using multiple accounts to get more access.
Impact of the Update Google is now closely watching how people use the Indexing API. If someone breaks the rules, they might lose access to the tool, which could make it harder for them to keep their search results updated for time-sensitive content.
How To Stay Compliant To use the Indexing API properly, follow these rules:
- Don’t go over the usage limits, and if you need more, ask Google instead of using multiple accounts.
- Use the API only for job postings or livestream videos, and make sure your data is correct.
- Follow all of Google’s API guidelines and spam policies.
- Use sitemaps along with the API, not as a replacement.
Remember, the Indexing API isn’t a shortcut to faster indexing. Follow the rules to keep your access.
This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update
Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:
1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update
Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.
2. Changes to Google Search Interface
Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.
3. New Features and Tests
- Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
- Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
- Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.
4. Search Rankings and Quality
- Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
- Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.
5. Advice for Content Creators
- Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
- Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.
6. New Search Features in Google Chrome
Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.
7. New Tests and Features in Google Search
- Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
- Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.
8. Bing’s New Feature
Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.
9. Local Search Ranking Factors
Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.
10. Google Ads Updates
- Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
- Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
- tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
- WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.
These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.
AI
Exploring the Evolution of Language Translation: A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate
According to an article on PCMag, while Google Translate makes translating sentences into over 100 languages easy, regular users acknowledge that there’s still room for improvement.
In theory, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are expected to bring about a new era in language translation. These models consume vast amounts of text-based training data and real-time feedback from users worldwide, enabling them to quickly learn to generate coherent, human-like sentences in a wide range of languages.
However, despite the anticipation that ChatGPT would revolutionize translation, previous experiences have shown that such expectations are often inaccurate, posing challenges for translation accuracy. To put these claims to the test, PCMag conducted a blind test, asking fluent speakers of eight non-English languages to evaluate the translation results from various AI services.
The test compared ChatGPT (both the free and paid versions) to Google Translate, as well as to other competing chatbots such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. The evaluation involved comparing the translation quality for two test paragraphs across different languages, including Polish, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Amharic.
In the first test conducted in June 2023, participants consistently favored AI chatbots over Google Translate. ChatGPT, Google Bard (now Gemini), and Microsoft Bing outperformed Google Translate, with ChatGPT receiving the highest praise. ChatGPT demonstrated superior performance in converting colloquialisms, while Google Translate often provided literal translations that lacked cultural nuance.
For instance, ChatGPT accurately translated colloquial expressions like “blow off steam,” whereas Google Translate produced more literal translations that failed to resonate across cultures. Participants appreciated ChatGPT’s ability to maintain consistent levels of formality and its consideration of gender options in translations.
The success of AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be attributed to reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), which allows these models to learn from human preferences and produce culturally appropriate translations, particularly for non-native speakers. However, it’s essential to note that while AI chatbots outperformed Google Translate, they still had limitations and occasional inaccuracies.
In a subsequent test, PCMag evaluated different versions of ChatGPT, including the free and paid versions, as well as language-specific AI agents from OpenAI’s GPTStore. The paid version of ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Plus, consistently delivered the best translations across various languages. However, Google Translate also showed improvement, performing surprisingly well compared to previous tests.
Overall, while ChatGPT Plus emerged as the preferred choice for translation, Google Translate demonstrated notable improvement, challenging the notion that AI chatbots are always superior to traditional translation tools.
Source: https://www.pcmag.com/articles/google-translate-vs-chatgpt-which-is-the-best-language-translator
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