Cookies set to "Never" but Safari now accepts all cookies anyway

I am also experiencing the same bug. Even after trying various settings and deleting various plist files, the bug still persists. So, I am now back to using Firefox 5.

The reason I had switched back to Safari was that it gave me a preview when printing. I could experiment with different scaling numbers and get a decent printout. But, that's not worth letting Apple ignore the cookie settings and letting every sleazy tracking cookie in!

I've been an Apple product user since 1984, but these kind of bugs really chap my hide. 😠

Safari cookies issue

I'm having the same issue with Safari 5.1 with OSX 10.6.8. Safari continues accepting all cookies no matter what preference setting I choose. Issue is repeatable after restart. I'm going back to Firefox until this is fixed.

I found a old work around

Go to Home/Library/Cookies use get info on Cookies.plist file and check the locked box. Now no more cookies should be added

Safari doesn't use that anymore, it's just cruft. Locking that file, or deleting it for that matter, will make no difference.

cbdave wrote:

I found a old work around

Go to Home/Library/Cookies use get info on Cookies.plist file and check the locked box. Now no more cookies should be added

With Lion and Safari 5.1 I had the problems discussed here with not being able to block cookies. I called Applecare and after deleting various preference and cache files and even restarting with a fresh user account, the problem continiued. After three levels of support the answer came back that it was a bug and I could use a different browser until it was fixed.

Private Browsing seems to work in 10.6.8, does it not in Lion? Note that you will see lots of new cookies while you are in a Safari session but when you quit and start up again they will all be gone (except for maybe Google). It's a PITA but good as a temporary fix until Apple fixes this.

"until apple fixes this"........ going on two months........

Here is a shell script I run from Terminal to clean out the unwanted cookies and local storage objects that Safari accumulates.

#!/bin/sh

#

cd /Users/<me>/Library/Cookies/

cp Cookies.plist prev-Cookies.plist

cp good-Cookies.plist Cookies.plist

#

cd /Users/<me>/Library/Safari

rm -rf LocalStorage

tar xzf LocalStorage-good.tar

Preparation: Before Safari 5.1, when the Preferences the UI showed cookies only, I manually cleaned out the list, leaving only cookies I wanted -- banking, logins, etc. I quit Safari and copied the file /Users/<me>/Library/Cookies/Cookies.plist to good-Cookies.plist.

After 5.1, with the new Preferences Privacy UI, I cleared the cache and then laboriously went through removing unwanted Local Storage items (there were over 300). The list of sites for which I allowed Local Storage was pretty much the same as the list for cookies. Quit Safari again.

Looking in the /Users/<me>/Library/Safari/LocalStorage directory, I verified that the files there were ones I wanted. I then created a snapshot of the LocalStorage directory via:

tar czf LocalStorage-good.tar LocalStorage

This is what is restored by the script above.

Thank you guys,

for discussing that problem. It helped me alot. I have the same prob with the third-party-cookies. I just reported it to apple like one of you advised.

Although I like the velocity of Safari I will change also to Firefox because this privacy-leak is not acceptable.

My notebook is brandnew therefore I am still able to use the 90-days-apple-service over the phone. But they could not help me on that problem. On the other hand they mentioned to me the 3-year-apple-care-protection for hundreds of euros. But ... I just experienced that this discussions-community is much better and more competent.

I big thanks again to all of you!!

🙂

Mac OS X 10.7.1, Safari 5.1 (German)

I also didn´t understand what´s the cookies setting is for, cause I thought it doesn´t change the behaviour of Safari. After emptiing the cookies, the are still back after a few minutes, even if you say "never accept" (or something else, I use the German version).

The APlle-Hotline explained to me this:

There are different kind of cookies. Some are used from the websites and read by them, some are only used by safari to manage the stored information in the cache, even it is disabled. It should work like this (I have to translate it into English and hope it looks similar in the English version):

- Always block:

Cookies are stored but are not able to send any information to the website. Also a lot of websites doesn´t work correctly, for example the login on Apple

- Never block: Accept everysthing and allow the website to send information.

- Block cookies from third parties and advertisement-websites:

Something in between: Allow the websites you visit to send information.

In every case, the Cookies-List will fill very fast. But I hope that untruthful websites only get the information if you chosse "never block".

My solution: Use "block cookies from third parties...", use "resetting Safari" every time you login into Google, Facebook etc. and make sure to check the box "delete all website-data" in the window which appears.

Do you trust the information from Apple?

smoerrebroed582 wrote:

The APlle-Hotline explained to me this . . .

- Always block:

Cookies are stored but are not able to send any information to the website. Also a lot of websites doesn´t work correctly, for example the login on Apple

I just tested that theory (with 5.0.5) by going to a cookie test site with Security Preferences set to "never," and Safari did not prevent information from being sent.

Incidentally, before I downgraded to 5.0.5, I tested 5.1 (with privacy set to "always block") and 5.1 doesn't block cookies, either.

In every case, the Cookies-List will fill very fast. But I hope that untruthful websites only get the information if you chosse "never block".

That runs counter-intuitively---and it's a waste of resources, which is very un-Apple-like. The list should not fill at all if it's set to block cookies.

My solution: Use "block cookies from third parties...", use "resetting Safari" every time you login into Google, Facebook etc. and make sure to check the box "delete all website-data" in the window which appears.

Unfortunately, Safari doesn't just ignore cookie settings for me. It also appears to ignore RSS feed settings and database preferences---and on top of all that, Google Safe Browsing Service stopped working 62 days ago.

That makes me worry what kind of information flashplayer might be gathering. And who knows what autofill might be giving out?

Do you trust the information from Apple?

I don't trust that information. It's not true.

I am convinced the problem is related to the iTunes Store and/or the AppStore, which are setting cookies somewhere on my computer independently of browser settings. And I don't think there are any plans to change anything.

Thanks for testing "my" theory.

I´m rtrying to analyze this at the moment really carefully, but I´m not a professional and not an apple freak any longer.

I tested your cookie test site as well: It just works with my Mac the way I described it above.

If you look at the content in the Preferences list carefully, you can see if there is a cookie stored or just the site in the cache.

I´ll try to stay on "Block always" and will see which webpages won´t work. This seems to prevent the websites from storing a cookie on my mac.

"The list should not fill at all if it's set to block cookies."

it´s not just a cookie list. It´s a list of all content stored with safari.

smoerrebroed582 wrote:

Thanks for testing "my" theory.

Poor choice of words. I tested the information you were given from the Apple Hotline, and unfortunately, it didn't hold up.

I tested your cookie test site as well: It just works with my Mac the way I described it above.

I want to be sure I understand you correctly. When you clicked on the link in my previous post, you went to a webpage where you saw a button in a green box that read "set test cookie." When you clicked the "set cookie" button, you then saw a message in a tan box (above the green box) that displayed the following message:

Number of cookies received: 0

This page did not receive any cookies.

Is that correct?

If so, I am more bewildered than I was before---if that's possible---because when I visted that page and clicked on the "set cookie" button, I received a message that read:

Number of cookies received: 1

1. Cookie named "TestCookie_Name_201110085130"

TestCookie_Value_115130

Safari stopped blocking cookies for me in June of this year. It was after the 10.6.8 update to Snow Leopard, but before the 5.1 update to Safari and before Lion came out.

I have not been able to resolve the problem with Safari, so I did not upgrade to Lion. The 5.1 update to Safari did not resolve the problem, either.

If your browser is blocking cookies, you and I are not having the same problem.

If you look at the content in the Preferences list carefully, you can see if there is a cookie stored or just the site in the cache.

I need to make clear I updated Safari to 5.1 in July of this year, but later, I downgraded to Safari 5.0.5. (I downgraded for reasons that aren't related to the cookie dilemma.) So the list I see is not the same list you are seeing.

However, I did the cookie test with 5.1 before I downgraded, and on my computer, 5.1 wasn't blocking cookies.

it´s not just a cookie list. It´s a list of all content stored with safari.

Yes. I understand that. I don't think you and I are having the same problem, smoerresbroed. But I sincerely appreciate your input because I'd like very much to resolve the problem I'm having with Safari.

Yes it works like you described it. But only if I check "block always" and I said I use Mac OS X 10.7.1, Safari 5.1 (German).