Six major U.S.-based advertising industry groups have written an open letter urging Apple to "rethink" plans to release new cookie preference standards in a forthcoming update to its Safari web browser. Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature would curb how advertisers and websites track users online by placing a 24-hour limit on ad retargeting, Adweek reports. TechCrunch reported on the plans last June, when Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi explained, "Safari uses machine learning to identify trackers, segregate the cross-site scripting data, put it away so now your privacy — your browsing history — is your own." More details on the system can be found on Apple's WebKit blog. Thursday's open letter warned the new standards are "opaque and arbitrary," adding, "Put simply, machine-driven cookie choices do not represent user choice; they represent browser-manufacturer choice." In response to Apple's ITP feature, Google said last week it will change the way it tracks conversions in AdWords. 
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