🔒Apple Reverses Hide My Email Change
Apple's About-Face on Privacy Feature
TL;DR
Apple has reversed its plan to move Hide My Email addresses from @icloud.com to @private.icloud.com. This decision was made after user backlash and concerns over privacy.
Apple has scrapped its planned change to the Hide My Email feature for iCloud+ users, keeping unique email addresses on @icloud.com instead of moving them to @private.icloud.com as initially announced earlier this year. The reversal comes in response to user complaints that the new domain would make it easier for websites to reject sign-ups from these masked emails. This decision is significant because it maintains a layer of anonymity crucial for users concerned about privacy and data collection by third-party services. Apple's move also addresses concerns over a previously reported bug that leaked real email addresses, which was fixed more than a year after being identified.
Key Points
Apple's Hide My Email feature generates unique email addresses for iCloud+ users, allowing them to mask their real email address when signing up for services.
The initial plan was to move these addresses to @private.icloud.com, which would have made it easier for websites to identify and reject sign-ups from masked emails.
User backlash against the change led Apple to reconsider its decision, ensuring that Hide My Email addresses remain on @icloud.com as originally intended.
A bug in the feature previously revealed users' real email addresses when these were rejected as spam, a privacy issue fixed over a year after it was first reported.
Apple employees had been objecting internally to the planned change due to privacy concerns and user feedback.
Why It Matters
If you're an iCloud+ subscriber using Hide My Email for privacy, this decision keeps your masked addresses indistinguishable from regular @icloud.com emails. This prevents websites from easily rejecting sign-ups based on domain recognition. However, Apple still retains the ability to identify users behind these masked addresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this matter?
If you're an iCloud+ subscriber using Hide My Email for privacy, this decision keeps your masked addresses indistinguishable from regular @icloud.com emails. This prevents websites from easily rejecting sign-ups based on domain recognition. However, Apple still retains the ability to identify users behind these masked addresses.
What happened?
Apple has reversed its plan to move Hide My Email addresses from @icloud.com to @private.icloud.com. This decision was made after user backlash and concerns over privacy.
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