Sonoma’s privacy and security features
Apple is keen to guard these things in the new Mac operating system
PRIVACY IS IMPORTANT to Apple. In fact, the company considers it a human right. The macOS Sonoma operating system brings several privacy and security features to the Mac, all of which are designed to keep your data, browsing and personal information as private as possible.
1 Set private browsing search engine
In Safari, you can set up a different search engine to use when you’re in Private Browsing mode. This way, for example, you can use the ubiquitous Google for general browsing, but the more secure and private DuckDuckGo when you’re in a Private Browsing window. In the Safari app, click on Safari in the top bar and choose the Settings option. In the window that pops up, click the Search tab in the toolbar. You'll see your chosen search engine, and underneath, your Private Browsing search engine. If the latter says "Default", it’s the same as your regular search engine. Click on either menu to choose a search engine. You can choose different options for your search engine and your Private Browsing search engine if you wish.
2 Private browsing authentication
If you leave your Mac with a Private Browsing window open, and your Mac goes to sleep, your private tabs lock too. They can only then be seen by unlocking them with your password or Touch ID, independently of unlocking your Mac. A locked Private Browsing tab is completely blank. The toolbar and
URL window aren’t shown, so it’s impossible to see where you’ve been on the web. All that’s visible is the field for entering your Mac’s password and instructions for using Touch ID. This feature is on by default, but if you wish to turn it off, in the Safari app, click on Safari in the top bar. Select Settings, and in the Privacy window, uncheck "Require Password/Touch ID to view locked tabs".
3 Communication safety
If you’re concerned about yourself or your children receiving explicit pictures, this opt– in feature of macOS Sonoma is exactly what you need. It’s enabled by default for children under 13 who are part of a Family Sharing group, but you can actually switch it on for anyone if you wish.
First of all, in the Apple menu in the top– left corner, select System Settings. In the left–hand sidebar of the System Settings window, click on Screen Time. Look for the Communication Safety option. Click on it, and turn on the Communication Safety switch at the top.
Now any photos or videos containing nudity are detected in compatible apps, such as Messages and FaceTime, and automatically blurred and the recipient warned. This warning also offers information on how to get help if the person in question feels like they’re being harassed. All processing and detection is done on the device in question; Apple never gets the pictures or videos.
4 Website extensions
There’s a new feature in your website extensions that lets you set them up on a per–website basis instead of having them on or off for all sites, and you can also set them up according to your Browser Profiles.
In Safari, open the Settings using the Apple menu (top left). Click on the Extensions tab. In the left–hand side, you'll see a list of extensions you currently have installed. An empty box to the left of an extension means this extension is off for all sites. A check mark here means it’s on for every site, and a dash means it’s on for some sites and off for others.
Click on an extension in the left–hand sidebar. On that Extension’s window, you can choose whether or not it’s available in Private Browsing by checking the box. Click Edit Websites — or click the Websites icon in the top bar — and you can use the extensions menus to choose whether you want a particular extension to be active on websites you currently have open, which are displayed in the right–hand window. Click on an extension in the left–hand sidebar and review the websites on the right. The options available are Ask, Allow and Deny.
From the Extensions tab, click on Manage Profiles (or click the Profiles icon in the toolbar), and here you can set up extensions to be on or off for every profile other than the default one. In the right–hand window, click Extensions at the top, and you can just check and uncheck the ones you want to be on or off when that particular profile is active.
5 iCloud passwords extension
You can now use the Mac’s iCloud password manager in browsers other than Safari, such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. You no longer have to manually port your passwords across to a third–party browser.
To do this, you need to install the iCloud Passwords extension in the browser in question. This will be slightly different in each third–party browser, but it’s not too difficult. For example, in Chrome, open the Chrome browser, and in the Chrome top bar menu, choose Settings and then click Extensions. It opens in the browser window. On the left, you’ll see an option to go to the Chrome Web Store to find more extensions. Look for and install iCloud Passwords.