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| Apple targeted in Britain over iCloud Private Relay |
Apple's private relay service iCloud in the UK is under attack, with a group of network operators calling on the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to regulate the service, saying it is uncompetitive, potentially harmful to users and a threat to them. National Security. .
In response to the CMA's mobile ecosystem report, Mobile UK is concerned that iCloud Private Relay will have a negative impact on user experience, internet security and competition.
iCloud Private Relay, a new service introduced in iOS 15, ensures that all traffic from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is encrypted across two separate layers of the internet.
This prevents companies from using personal information such as IP address, location and browsing activity to create detailed user profiles.
Mobile UK, the British trade association of mobile network operators, has claimed that privacy services may have harmful side effects for users after filing a formal complaint with Microsoft.
"The iCloud Private Relay service affects Apple users in many ways that go beyond the level of privacy users want," she said. Apple users have a worse browsing experience when using iCloud Private Relay.
Mobile UK says this prompts users to switch from Safari to apps downloaded from the App Store, for which Apple takes a commission.
British network operators target Apple
iCloud Private Relay blocks network providers from seeing network traffic from My Trips and unencrypted apps.
According to Mobile UK, iCloud Private Relay prevents service providers from understanding demand patterns on mobile networks, limiting their ability to diagnose customer problems.
In addition, the service claims that the content filtering, malware, and anti-fraud services offered by network providers are at risk.
According to Mobile UK, the service poses a national security threat, but in fact limits the ability of government agencies to investigate terrorism, organized crime, sexual abuse and child exploitation.
In addition, the service should enable Apple to take advantage of its strong market power in several market segments.
He said that vendors would not be able to use the traffic data to develop competing browsers in the future.
Mobile UK argues that iCloud Private Relay undermines the ability of ISPs to differentiate and compete in the marketplace on a level playing field.
"The company can use its site to gain iCloud + subscribers and expand its position as an Internet service provider," she said.
In addition, the industry association said the service instructs users to access the Internet in an Apple-sponsored manner. The service allows companies to prioritize their applications and services at the expense of other service providers.
Mobile UK also said that iCloud Private Relay affects competition with mobile browsers. This shows that due to limitations in the company's WebKit browser engine, competing browsers cannot easily differentiate themselves from one another.
The group complained that users could not switch to other browsers to avoid private relays. In fact, the ability of competing browsers to differentiate themselves from Safari is still restricted by the terms of Apple's browser engine.
iCloud Private Relay has come under similar threat in the European Union. Major mobile operators have attempted to ban the service for violating the digital sovereignty of the European Union.