Psylo, which bills itself as a new kind of private web browser, debuted last Tuesday in Apple’s App Store, one day ahead of a report warning about the widespread use of browser fingerprinting for ad tracking and targeting.

It was a fortuitous coincidence.

Psylo for iOS and iPadOS was created by Mysk, a Canada-based app biz run by software developers and security researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk.

“Psylo stands out as it is the only WebKit-based iOS browser that truly isolates tabs,” Tommy Mysk told The Register. "It’s not only about separate storage and cookies. Psylo goes beyond that.

“This is why we call tabs ‘silos.’ It applies unique anti-fingerprinting measures per silo, such as canvas randomization. This way two Psylo tabs opening the same website would appear as though they originated on two different devices to the opened website.”

  • Luffy@lemmy.ml
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    12 hours ago

    „We ArE sOOoO pRivAtE“

    Based on closed source Webengine running on OS known for data collection™

    • comrade_twisty@feddit.org
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      12 hours ago

      Exactly my thoughts, unfortunately my first thoughts when reading UNIQUE and INNOVATIVE technology these days are - ok it’s likely bullshit.

      • Luffy@lemmy.ml
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        12 hours ago

        yep

        Like, you want to actually contribute against fingerprinting? Make a repo with documentation on how you want to achieve it and publish a firefox fork as example.

        If you want change in the software world, you have to make a blueprint everyone can use or at least get an idea and let them have the freedom of implementing it their own way

    • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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      12 hours ago

      Still, it wouldn’t be in their interest to gather data

      running on OS known for data collection™

      What? You mean Android?

      • Luffy@lemmy.ml
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        12 hours ago

        Still, it wouldn’t be in their interest to gather data

        My sources say otherwise.. Apple has an interest in collecting your data.

        What? You mean Android?

        I know this is not really a thing where you come from, but here on lemmy we read the OPs text first before commenting, which also would have answered all your questions, but if you really need it: The Browser is based on Propriatery Apple Software and only runs on it

        • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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          11 hours ago

          My sources say otherwise… Apple has an interest in collecting your data.

          It does for sure, but it will always be far less aggressive about it than Google. Most sensitive data is either stored in device and semi-handled there, or quickly deleted (although we know everything that goes to a USA server is likely stored forever)

          A lot of this data can be opted out on installation, which can’t really be said for Android iirc

          Android also runs Google play services and their other proprietary software with root access on your device, push the Play Integrity API which essentially locks out devices that don’t run their software with root access or dare to use non authorized roms (non authorized you say? Hmm… really similar to Apple…)

          Both OS suck big time and I can only hope Android and Apple are freed from the BS done by their owners, and app devs finally stop discriminating users for caring about their data and privacy

          but here on lemmy we read the OPs text first before commenting, which also would have answered all your questions

          This went over your head. I know the post was about Apple and I was pointing out that android is likely worse for privacy

          I know this is not really a thing where you come from

          Personal attacks. You love to see it. Really shows the kind of person you are. Why opt for verbal violence and try to discredit me?

            • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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              10 hours ago

              It pretty much just sandboxes google play services. You still need to use it for many things and you can see it’s deeply integrated in many places.

              • Thorned_Rose@sh.itjust.works
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                10 hours ago

                My main point is

                Android also runs Google play services

                is incorrect as a general statement about Android. I used GrapheneOS as an example but there are plenty of other Android ROMs that also don’t come with Google Play Services or any Google at all.

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                  10 hours ago

                  Did I say it did? Maybe I worded it wrong but I meant that you need to use (and install it) to use the vast majority of apps, and it’s deeply integrated, in the play store and apps… and affects many parts of android

                  If you do install it, which you probably will unless you’re okay with living 10 years in the past and losing time, then you’re pretty much back to square one

                  • Prismaarchives@lemmy.ml
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                    5 hours ago

                    If you do install it, which you probably will unless you’re okay with living 10 years in the past and losing time, then you’re pretty much back to square one

                    Non-sandboxed play services have vastly more permissions and access to device information; it’s a step back from not having it, but utterly disengenuous to call it back to square one. It has far more privileged permission, and as you admit yourself, we don’t know what is in its code, so we don’t know what it is potentially doing with that permission.

                  • Thorned_Rose@sh.itjust.works
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                    10 hours ago

                    I’m typing this via GrapheneOS and I don’t at all feel like I’m living 10 years in the past lol.

                    Even if I was, at least the internet would be a less shitty place than it is now, there would be almost no LLM/AI crap, I wouldn’t constantly have to be as vigilant against big corps datamining my privacy as much as I am now… Actually, 2015 was a pretty decent time compared to now. Got a time machine?

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            10 hours ago

            but it will always be far less aggressive about it than Google

            Whataboutism. Browser advertises itself as privacy respecting, yet builds on a non Privacy respecting OS. If they really wanted to protect the user, they would be open source, (at least the methods of protecting the user from tracking) firefox based and availible for linux and Android FOSS, similar to everything else (Firefox, Molly, Signal, etc). My whole Comment was about how they advertise themselves as Private, yet fail to address the most basic privacy concerns, essentially being an oxymoron. This was not about „which OS is less evil“ but „why did they not opt for the not at all evil?“

            Android also runs Google play services

            False. AOSP does not have Gservices, and has enough forks for hardware (Linaege, Graphene, Calyx, /e/)

            Both OS suck big time

            See my point about AOSP.

            I know the post was about Apple

            So you just posted some random comment just because?

            and I was pointing out that android is likely worse for privacy

            Also false, see my Point about AOSP.

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              10 hours ago

              yet builds on a non Privacy respecting OS

              What would be the alternative? Android is also a non privacy respecting OS and is even worse.

              firefox based and availible for linux and Android FOSS

              That’s nice, but no one uses android FOSS and everyone is using google play services. Firefox is also not very privacy respecting but that’s out of the subject anyways.

              False. AOSP does not have Gservices, and has enough forks for hardware (Linaege, Graphene, Calyx, /e/)

              Yes, and it’s not usable for your everyday life. Enjoy running less than 10% apps on the market. All forks add Google Play services support because it’s pretty much mandatory nowadays.

              So you just posted some random comment just because?

              I’m just going to write again what I wrote

              This went over your head. I know the post was about Apple and I was pointing out that android is likely worse for privacy

              because you made it seem like Apple was a bad solution and as there’s only android left, you made it seem like it was privacy respecting

              Also false, see my Point about AOSP.

              I disagree, see my point about AOSP too

              btw google are making aosp harder to use now, see grapheneos’s post

              • Luffy@lemmy.ml
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                10 hours ago

                All of your Points are either already answered by me, ad hominem, or random assumptions without data backing it up.

                • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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                  10 hours ago

                  random assumptions without data backing it up

                  Be my guest, uninstall GPServices and see. It’s known that all mainstream apps require it. Things like youtube obviously, and all google apps, uber, lyft, reddit, bank apps, discord (unsure), mcdonalds, burger king, yuka… many smaller apps and many games as well. If they work by luck, then you likely won’t have notifications. There’s no easy database for this and you probably know it

                  Then, for the privacy points, then you also know google’s privacy policy. Google play services is closed source, so yea, good luck finding proof for this, just like for apple

                  ad hominem

                  where? Criticizing something specific inherently implies there is a better alternative, or you wouldn’t be focused specifically on apple. I’m saying android is not and AOSP is not viable due to being an outdated user experience and supporting much much less apps and features, as well as not really being used without play services

                  • Luffy@lemmy.ml
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                    8 hours ago

                    Be my guest, uninstall GPServices and see

                    Never had it installed in the first place.

        • SW42@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          I have read the article and honestly compared to others considering the times we live in it’s really not that bad (it is bad, don’t get me wrong).

          That said I really miss my Nokia 3210…

        • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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          11 hours ago

          Agreed

          I’ll still argue that Apple is on paper less bad than Android, but being closed-source we never know, especially since they are willing to lie to protect their interests. They’re often hit with FUD though.

          We really need the ‘freedom’ of android and the aesthetics and ‘ease of use’ of ios, without the proprietary bullshit, vendor lock-in and the privacy nightmare

            • FireIced@lemmy.super.ynh.fr
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              10 hours ago

              You’ll either end up installing google play services which will put you in a similar privacy nightmare, although it might not run as root anymore, or not use it and be locked out of the vast majority of apps, and at this point that’s not a modern smartphone anymore

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                  9 hours ago

                  microg might be the best bet but isn’t it a pain to make it work with graphene? Graphene pushes sandboxed services

                  All apps doing store verifications will keep you out though, and that’s annoying. Fuck the play integrity api

                  • JamesBoeing737MAX@sopuli.xyz
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                    7 hours ago

                    Divestos was cool while it lasted (nonpriviliged microg, graphene patches, etc.), I just use lineageos with microg. It’s the best thing I have on my Redmi and OnePlus (when I will actually fully repair it). Edit: never actually used Divestos.