Apple isn't backing down from a new approach that limits how web visitors can be tracked by online advertisers.

The new feature in Safari, called Intelligent Tracking Prevention, was first announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June. It incorporates a number of different ways that Apple is trying to cut back on ad-tracking, for example by limiting the use of cookies for ad retargeting to 24 hours, and deleting a site's cookies entirely if you don't visit for 30 days.

Earlier this week, six advertising trade groups (including the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the American Association of Advertising Agencies) released an open letter criticizing Apple's strategy as "opaque and arbitrary."

"Apple’s unilateral and heavy-handed approach is bad for consumer choice and bad for the ad-supported online content and services consumers love," the groups wrote.

Apple response? Well, it sounds like the company's moving forward with its plans and defending them as the right approach for consumer privacy. Here's a company statement: