iOS 14.5 wants to keep your internet use well away from Google:
Apple continues to ramp up its privacy policies, after revealing that it will re-route Safari traffic through its own servers to limit how much information Google can collect when its Safe Browsing service is employed. The change will be implemented from iOS 14.5 onwards.
Previously, Apple used Google's Safe Browsing database to safeguard Safari users from malicious websites, checking URLs against suspected phishing or malware sites and issuing a warning when a match was found. However, this means that Google can collect information about a user's IP address without their permission (although the technology firm is never able to see what specific websites are being visited).
Apple will now proxy its Safari traffic via its own servers to ensure that even less user information gets seen by Google. Maciej Stachowiak, Apple's head of WebKit engineering confirmed that the change was made in order to "limit the risk of information leak".
(Score: 5, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Wednesday February 17 2021, @09:53AM (13 children)
This change doesn't really improve your privacy, it just changes who gets to see the data.
In particular, if they re-route the total traffic, they will get far more information than just your IP (which they probably have anyway).
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @10:12AM (9 children)
I'm sure the implicit assumption is that Apple customers trust Apple. I think Apple has actually shown themselves to be more trustworthy than Google, not that it's saying much...
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @10:18AM (5 children)
On iOS, having to trust Apple is a given. Having to trust a second moloch besides Apple is strictly worse, no matter your perspective on either company.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by BsAtHome on Wednesday February 17 2021, @10:55AM (4 children)
You do not have to trust Apple. You simply willingly surrender your freedom and are at the mercy of Apple when using iDevices. It is a walled garden where corporate law rules. Anything else is just a way for the Apple corporation to increase the profits. And, we should sincerely hope that profit is the only motivation for Apple.
There is no actual difference between Apple or Google. They are both in it for money. Lets just hope that it stays that way so we may choose not to use their services.
(Score: 5, Informative) by PiMuNu on Wednesday February 17 2021, @11:38AM (3 children)
> There is no actual difference between Apple or Google.
This is not true. The Apple business model is predicated on users spending bazillions on the latest iDoohickey. The Google business model is predicated on advertising.
Apple's business model provides a strong disincentive for Apple to sell your data (they thrive on reputation). Doesn't stop a PHB from selling it anyway; but the income per user from advertising revenue is probably far lower than user upgrading their iDoohickey every year.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @01:20PM (2 children)
"strong disincentive".
So they can actually oppose the most well armed criminal operation on the planet (USA's government + corporations) ?!
No, they cant.
Are you insinuating that USA doesn't get same access to Apples servers as China does?
Here's how its done:
Say three times "National security, criminal investigation, child abuse" and wave a secret court's secret order made via a secret law in front of them and look at what access they give you.
Please, stop repeating Apples viral marketing materials, they are all lies.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by HiThere on Wednesday February 17 2021, @03:27PM
If all you're worrying about if governments, you've got a point. If you consider that as a practical frequent violater in your current environment corporations are worse, then you don't.
Governments *do* have the upper hand, but they are reluctant to share the information they collect with their corporate allies. Or at least that's how it appears to me in my environment.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Thursday February 18 2021, @09:39AM
I agree, governmental organisations can usually coerce companies into giving out info - so in that sense, using some Apple server is a compromise. OTOH Google will just sell it to anyone, including government, who wafts a couple of dollar bills under their nose - so in that sense it is a deeper compromise.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @12:53PM (2 children)
The fist with which Apple anally rapes me is smaller than the fist with which Google anally rapes me. (Microsoft... well, ever seen that video of the dead beached whale that they blew up? Yeah, Microsoft's like that.)
Your
mileageanal rape may vary.(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @01:42PM (1 child)
Wouldn't it be preferable if you were not anally raped, or had your data gathered and repackaged for sale, at all? Lesser evil and all that it's still evil -- or in this case the girth of the object that you are probed with. At this stage I think Google is way worse then Microsoft. I'm not even sure Microsoft are still in the top 3. I guess it goes something like Google - Facebook - someone and then perhaps Microsoft. It's not that Microsoft are not sucking in a lot data or telemetry but not all of that is usable for selling ads. A lot of it will just be user data for "improving" their product. There are all those advert-networks that are not Google (but depend on Google to do their thing). Lots of probing going on.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @02:53PM
I would have agreed with you that Google was worse than Microsoft, until Windows 10. Isn't showing ads on your computer's opening screen even worse than shoving ads at you on a web page? You can close your browser and be safe from Google, but if you're running Windows these days you are never safe from Microsoft reading your files, rebooting their machine (it's not yours anymore), and basically fucking you however they wish. This is why I state that I dislike Apple, hate Google, but want all employees of Microsoft publicly executed. Slowly.
The only way to truly avoid the metaphorical anal rape is to put down all the electronic devices and go outside. But outside is full of bees, or in cold season the ice weasels. You can't win.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by rigrig on Wednesday February 17 2021, @11:20AM (1 child)
The don't re-route all traffic, just the queries to Google's Safe Browsing service. (which only include hash-prefixes of URLs anyway)
So mostly it was leaking at which times people were using their iPhones to browse.
No one remembers the singer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @12:35PM
are you implying he rushed to a first post without reading tfa
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @07:53PM
and this is part of a very disturbing trend where ISPs and now device/OS vendors "help provide secure internet" to ignorant, lazy, cowardly slaves.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ledow on Wednesday February 17 2021, @12:42PM (5 children)
Cool, have they issued a GPDR compliance statement yet?
No, thought not. Lots of "we're working towards", though.
Apple have no place talking about privacy, and if this was the other way round (e.g. Google routing browsing traffic through themselves), people would be up in arms.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @03:12PM
Uhh... Google pretty much tries to route all traffic through themselves. Every fucking app reports back to them.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @08:04PM
False equivalency.
Yes, people would be up in arms if Google tried to do this (actually, aren't they trying to do this)? However, much of that is because of past history, business models, and numerous other things. Apple isn't perfect, but they have a track record of mostly supporting user privacy (such as fighting back against decrypting an iPhone when requested by the FBI). Their business model is to profit when users pay them money to buy devices and apps. Contrast that with Google, whose business model is to profit by advertising (and by extension, learning everything about you).
As an illustrative example, if a man said, "drop your pants, I need to check your gentiles," would you react the same way if that person was your father, your doctor, and a random police officer?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Tork on Wednesday February 17 2021, @09:44PM (2 children)
Umm of course they'd be in arms. Apple's hungry for your money, Google's hungry for your data to sell. Why you'd expect equal reactions from unequal motivations is beyond me.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 2) by ledow on Thursday February 18 2021, @08:11AM (1 child)
And what precisely are Apple doing with your data? I'll tell you... something that they're not willing to tell you or certify even what continent they're doing it on, or on what platform.
Google were shit-hot on getting their GDPR compliance statements out years ago, well before they were needed. Apple still haven't done it. So claiming you know their motivation is disingenuous when you have NO idea what they're doing with your data at all.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday February 18 2021, @08:17AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 17 2021, @12:57PM
(Score: 1) by js290 on Wednesday February 17 2021, @11:22PM (1 child)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 18 2021, @04:15AM
You're fucking joking, right?
This week, we’re partnering with Fairphone to
give you a chance to win a sustainable,
privacy-first FP3+ with /e/OS along with other
privacy-friendly prizes. Head to our Twitter to
enter!
Should I also join their mailing list in order to protect myself from junk emails.
(Score: 2) by JustNiz on Thursday February 18 2021, @01:54PM
What makes Apple any more trustable than Google? Apple repeatedly ride rough-shod over Apple user's interests.
The most wierd thing to me is how people especially Apple users accept the brainwashing and live in complete denial of this. Not that Google are much better.