When Apple Pushes iOS 15 rolled out over a billion devices in September, the software update included the company’s first VPN-like feature, iCloud Private Relay. A subscription-only privacy tool that makes it hard for anyone to track what you’re doing online by routing traffic from your device through multiple servers. But the tool has faced resistance from mobile operators in Europe – and more recently T-Mobile in the US.
As Private Relay has launched over the past few months, many people have started complaining that their mobile service providers seem to be restricting access to it. For many people, this option can’t be enabled if your plan has content filtering features, such as parental controls. Meanwhile in Europe, mobile operators Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange and T-Mobile have a clear understanding of how Private Relay works. In August 2021, according to a report by Telegraph, the companies complained that the feature would cut off their access to metadata and network information and suggested to regulators that it should be banned.
“Private Relay will impede others from innovating and competing in downstream digital markets and can negatively impact operators’ ability to effectively manage telecommunications networks,” said Mr. The owners of the companies wrote in a letter to European legislators. However, Apple says that Private Relay does not prevent companies from providing customers with fast internet connections, and security experts say there is little evidence that Private Relay will cause problems for operators. network.
Apple’s own forwarding is not a VPN—Freely allowed by service providers — but it has some similarities. This option is still in beta and is only available to people pay for iCloud +, which is intended to prevent your network providers and the websites you visit from seeing your IP address and DNS records. That makes it harder for companies to build a profile about you that includes your interests and location, which in theory helps reduce the ways you’re targeted online.
To do this, Private Relay routes your web traffic through two relays, called nodes, as it leaves your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Your traffic goes from Safari into the first forward, known as an “intrusive proxy,” owned by Apple. There are various intrusion proxies around the world, and they are based in multiple locations, Apple said in a statement White paper. This first forwarder can see your IP address and the Wi-Fi or cellular network you’re connected to. However, Apple cannot see the name of the website you are trying to access.
The second forward that your web traffic goes through, known as the “output proxy,” is owned by a third-party partner, not Apple itself. Although it can see the name of the website you are visiting, it does not know the IP address you are browsing. Instead, it assigns you a different IP address near where you live or within the same country, depending on your individual Forwarding settings.
As a result, no router knows both your IP address and the details of what you’re watching online — while a typical VPN provider will. handle all your data. Also unlike a VPN, Apple’s system doesn’t allow you to change the geolocation of your device to avoid regional blocking of content from Netflix and others.
