The thing is that right now Private Relay is disabled by default (perhaps because it is still in beta). So an average user would still need to dig quite deeply into iCloud settings to enable it. Apple might flick that toggle ON for everybody in a future iOS update, but for now its impact is very minimal. Nevertheless it has a good potential, hence the operators are ringing their alarm bells to try and squash it before it can get widely used.
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EU Mobile Operators Want Apple's iCloud Private Relay Service to Be Outlawed Over Concerns of 'Digital Sovereignty'
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The thing is that right now Private Relay is disabled by default (perhaps because it is still in beta). So an average user would still need to dig quite deeply into iCloud settings to enable it. Apple might flick that toggle ON for everybody in a future iOS update, but for now its impact is very minimal. Nevertheless it has a good potential, hence the operators are ringing their alarm bells to try and squash it before it can get widely used.
Nobody said Europe is doing it, only that the ISPs have asked for it. People all over the world ask for all kinds of things all the time.
**** it my carrier already blocked iCloud private relay!
A big finger for whoever doing it. Shame on you!
I turned it on this afternoon (MacBook Pro). It seems to operate reasonably quickly so far, most likely because the "third" party Apple are using will be one of the big CDN providers. I'll see what happens tomorrow in the daytime when I take my iPhone out and about. I'm going to be very annoyed if my cellular provider blocks it.
Does not Private Relay protect your Safari traffic only? If so, how could it impact your iCloud identification during restore?
In the US, it seems it's being blocked if it conflicts with T-Mobile's Web Block service on certain plans.
tmo.report
T-Mobile Blocking iCloud Private Relay For Some, But It's Not What You Think
There are reports that T-Mobile has started blocking Apple's iCloud Private Relay service. However, most customers should not be affected.
tmo.report
T-Mobile begins blocking iPhone users from enabling iCloud Private Relay in the US.
9to5mac.com
I don't know why MacRumors hasn't covered this news. I guess they were too busy writing an article on a new Gmail app widget...
T-Mobile begins blocking iPhone users from enabling iCloud Private Relay in the US [U] - 9to5Mac
Earlier today, a report indicated that some European carriers were blocking the Private Relay feature introduced by Apple with iOS...
9to5mac.com
I don't know why MacRumors hasn't covered this news. I guess they were too busy writing an article on a new Gmail app widget...
You are very very brave to entrust in a corporate who's number one goal is money, and who is in bed with China.
I have explained in detail in other posts (namely the one about Apple operating in China) why I feel the issue is largely overblown, and why I believe Apple’s position isn’t as precarious as people would like to believe.
Of course every company is out to make money. I trust that Apple’s design goals are (still) largely in sync with my own, which is why I tend to favour their products and services over that of the competition whenever I can.
The real point is, you're trusting in a company where the privacy and encryption software you're relying on is not open source, and thus no one can possibly know if Apple is lying or not. That's a fool's paradise. Good luck mate.
With a choice between Google and Apple, I'm going to go with the company who's entire business model isn't data harvesting and selling to the highest bidder.
Maybe you’ve not been keeping up with events, but this is a mobile carrier vs Apple thing. The only reason the EU is mentioned here is because the carriers think they might have a chance of getting wide regulation drafted to make life happier for the carriers. That’s very unlikely to happen because the EU typically favour the end user in such arguments. That’s why the carriers must behave themselves, by law, by not charging for roaming across Europe. The only place where the rich carriers are likely to prevail over the interests of end users is actually in places outside of the EU.
I’m happy for you that you’re glad we left the EU. I‘m not so happy for EE or Three users or, indeed, the hundreds of businesses that have gone bankrupt either side of the Channel since Brexit started to bed in.
Blockchain has literally zero relevance to Privacy/VPN/iCloud Private Relay
The irony being that outlawing this kind of tech is almost entirely likely to happen in America. Carriers will be lobbying the s*** out of government to get it legislated so that the carriers can monetise every single byte of their network. (You only have to look at how Net Neutrality panned out.)
Well your information would be private. It’s a matter of being able to see and understand what the software is doing. Apple is doing “security through obscurity.” Its not uncommon but without opening up their systems it’s impossible to know they are doing what they say they are doing - keeping things private.
Read many of the comments and agree but will wait to see where MetaPalm and Zuck stand before chastising the Telecoms......./s.....![]()
Major EU mobile operators are reportedly looking for Apple's iCloud Private Relay service to be outlawed because it allegedly infringes upon EU "digital sovereignty," according to a report from The Telegraph.
![icloud-private-relay-ios-15.jpg]()
iCloud Private Relay was a feature announced with iOS 15 that encrypts data so that neither Apple nor a third-party can see users' browsing activity in Safari. With iCloud Private Rely enabled, a user's internet requests are sent through two separate internet relays, with the first relay being operated by Apple.
The second relay, operated by a third-party company, means no-one, including Apple, can see what website a user visits. More information on how iCloud Private Relay works can be found on Apple's website.
In August 2021, less than two months after iCloud Private Relay was announced, Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange, and T-Mobile sent a joint letter to the European Commission regarding their concerns over the service. As per the report:
In the letter seen by The Telegraph, the operators said that while iCloud Private Relay "purports to enhance users' privacy when connecting to and browsing the internet by encrypting and redirecting traffic," it also cuts off "networks and servers from accessing vital network data and metadata, including those operators in charge of the connectivity."
The letter claimed that iCloud Private Relay will have "significant consequences in terms of undermining European digital sovereignty."
In the letter, the operators also called upon the European Commission to label Apple as a "digital gatekeeper" under the EU Digital Markets Act. According to the report, such a label "has the potential to stop services such as Private Relay."
Outside the EU, some network operators in the UK are also concerned. In its own letter, TalkTalk claimed that iCloud Private Relay would "make it more difficult to block dangerous content." In a statement to The Telegraph, TalkTalk said it is "assessing how to respond to this shift and maintain our commitments to keeping our customers safe."
iCloud Private Relay is currently available in beta form for users on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and it's still unclear when Apple plans to bring it out of beta. According to The Telegraph, the European Commission has not responded to the letter from the EU's largest mobile operators. We've reached out to Apple to comment on the concerns raised in the letter.
Article Link: EU Mobile Operators Want Apple's iCloud Private Relay Service to Be Outlawed Over Concerns of 'Digital Sovereignty'
Maybe....Apple plays some mean poker? This being a trap for the Teles and their congress critter subservients ? If the gub saleouts take the side of the telecoms over public privacy (which in their case would be 'par for the course') how will they be able to cry 'big tech; big tech censorship' to the people as they've been doing of late? Though one must confess that the fluid in the swamp is not necessary H2O so anythings of course possible.![]()
Major EU mobile operators are reportedly looking for Apple's iCloud Private Relay service to be outlawed because it allegedly infringes upon EU "digital sovereignty," according to a report from The Telegraph.
![icloud-private-relay-ios-15.jpg]()
iCloud Private Relay was a feature announced with iOS 15 that encrypts data so that neither Apple nor a third-party can see users' browsing activity in Safari. With iCloud Private Rely enabled, a user's internet requests are sent through two separate internet relays, with the first relay being operated by Apple.
The second relay, operated by a third-party company, means no-one, including Apple, can see what website a user visits. More information on how iCloud Private Relay works can be found on Apple's website.
In August 2021, less than two months after iCloud Private Relay was announced, Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange, and T-Mobile sent a joint letter to the European Commission regarding their concerns over the service. As per the report:
In the letter seen by The Telegraph, the operators said that while iCloud Private Relay "purports to enhance users' privacy when connecting to and browsing the internet by encrypting and redirecting traffic," it also cuts off "networks and servers from accessing vital network data and metadata, including those operators in charge of the connectivity."
The letter claimed that iCloud Private Relay will have "significant consequences in terms of undermining European digital sovereignty."
In the letter, the operators also called upon the European Commission to label Apple as a "digital gatekeeper" under the EU Digital Markets Act. According to the report, such a label "has the potential to stop services such as Private Relay."
Outside the EU, some network operators in the UK are also concerned. In its own letter, TalkTalk claimed that iCloud Private Relay would "make it more difficult to block dangerous content." In a statement to The Telegraph, TalkTalk said it is "assessing how to respond to this shift and maintain our commitments to keeping our customers safe."
iCloud Private Relay is currently available in beta form for users on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey, and it's still unclear when Apple plans to bring it out of beta. According to The Telegraph, the European Commission has not responded to the letter from the EU's largest mobile operators. We've reached out to Apple to comment on the concerns raised in the letter.
Article Link: EU Mobile Operators Want Apple's iCloud Private Relay Service to Be Outlawed Over Concerns of 'Digital Sovereignty'
It won‘t take them long to start moaning. They are always moaning about everything.