The three major U.S. carriers said they would not ban iCloud's privacy features

Apple's iCloud Private Relay feature is a feature designed to protect user privacy and prevent third parties from collecting user data. Previously, some users said that their function was blocked by operators. Recently, the three major mobile operators in the United States, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T, have all told the media that they have not blocked Apple's new iCloud Private Relay feature.

iCloud Private Relay is much like a VPN in that it automatically blocks Internet traffic from Apple, internet service providers, and others to prevent the leakage of user privacy. The feature is still in beta, but it's currently available to users who subscribe to paid iCloud, although Apple doesn't currently turn it on by default.

But unlike VPNs, Private Relay doesn't modify the address information of the user's device, and it only works in Apple's own Safari browser.

AT&T and Verizon have been blunt and say they're not stopping the feature from working. Verizon spokesman George Croñoz said Private Relay is available on mobile and glossy Internet connections, while AT&T spokesman Seth Bloom said their policy does not contradict Private Relay.

T-Mobile's situation is a little more complicated, they say: Most users have no problem using iCloud Private Relay, but those who use content filtering services such as T-Mobile's parental mode will not be able to use iCloud Private Relay.

"Customers who choose plans and features with content filtering, such as Parent mode, can't access iCloud Private Relay, which are currently in conflict. All other customers have no restrictions," T-Mobile spokesman Benny Reddyman told the media. This has to do with Apple's messaging around the feature, noting that "networks with traffic control or filtering specific URLs will block users' access to Private Relay." ”

A T-Mobile spokesperson also told The Verge that carriers did find problems with Apple's recent iOS 15.2 update, causing iCloud Private Relay to be shut down after the update. "Overnight, our team discovered that in the 15.2 iOS release, some devices were set to turn off the feature by default. We've already reported this to Apple. This is not a problem unique to T-Mobile. ”

If the problem is really on Apple's side, it can also explain some of the problems that Verizon or AT&T customers may encounter after the update.

In fact, carriers may be unhappy in the future about supporting Apple's privacy features. Vodafone, Telefónica, Orange and T-Mobile have all signed a joint letter asking the European Commission to block Private Relay, saying the feature will "make it impossible for other networks and services to access important network data and metadata, while network service providers will receive a significant shock," the Daily Telegraph reported. ”

Leifeng Network