Apple's iOs 14.5 Beta Directs 'Safe Browsing' Traffic Control Through Own Server Instead of Google, Why?

Joen Coronel, Tech Times 11 February 2021, 10:02 am

Apple's iOS 14.5 Beta Directs 'Safe Browsing' Traffic Control Through Its Own Server Instead of Google: Why? — (Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Apple will now implement safe browsing traffic through iOS 14.5 beta in its server instead of Google for user's privacy protection

Apple will now use the "safe browsing" option through iOS 14.5 beta using its server, Safari. The said service pioneered by Google led Apple to implement "privacy labels" so Google will now be limited on the data that it will gather from the users.

Apple Now Pushes "Privacy Labels" For Users' Protection

MacRumors reported that Apple now constructed "Fraudulent Website Warning," a feature wherein a user will receive a warning if they happen to enter "fishy" websites like phishing pages and unwanted websites used for hacking. Apple's browser Safari now contained the feature on iOs and iPadOS so you can protect your personal information like password and email.

Apple borrowed the "Safe Browsing" service of Google where it shows a list of phishing links or websites that seem suspicious to click. The URL prefixes will appear so you are preemptively warned of the websites. The data that Google sent to Safari will now be reviewed.

After reviewing, Safari will prompt Google with a request to send the links that matched in the prefixed URLs. Google cannot see the URL of the websites that you are accessing through the hashed prefix.

Google might collect your IP address through Safari since it could not determine what is the particular URL of the website that you are visiting. Don't worry anymore because Apple has made an effective move to avoid that. Without interacting with Google, Apple now relies on its own server instead of the former so your privacy will be maintained more secure.

Recently, some Reddit users shared the "Safe Browsing" window with iOS 14.5 beta. The URL "proxy.safebrowsing.apple" together with "safebrowsing.g.applimg.com" and "token.safebrowsing.apple" proxy Google's privacy feature.

Apple becomes even more user-friendly through the crowdsource reporting through Apple Maps. This feature suits the needs of the user for protection against accidents. The California-based tech giant confirms that the 14.5 will be released in the early spring to be readily available in iOS and iPadOS.

Apple and Facebook's Ideals Contradict with Each Other

Apple's campaign towards privacy concerns has been fruitful especially with the feature now added to iPhone and iPad. Besides the "Safe Browsing," Apple will also first ask the user for permission in the apps that they clicked, before tracking them in different websites in the iOS 14.5 update. AT or the App Tracking Transparency is the term used as a requirement among tech companies like Twitter and Facebook.

Just earlier this month, Apple and Facebook had an argument since Apple leaned more on bringing its hardware products to the public than launching targeted advertising. As a user, being tracked is not what we like to happen, so Facebook's targeted advertising will result in a major loss of data, and later will also lead to the loss of profit.

For Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's move is a callous step that will hurt the social media giant more. On the other hand, Apple CEO Tim Cook has a different perspective.

"If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation, on choices that are no choices at all, then it does not deserve our praise. It deserves reform," Cook said via Vox.