UK Network Operators Voice Concerns About Apple's iCloud Private Relay, Urged CMA to Regulate the Service

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 13 March 2022, 11:03 am

Mobile UK, a trade association of British mobile network operators including Virgin Media O2, EE, Vodafone, and Three, has urged the UK's Competition and Markets Authority or CMA to regulate Apple's iCloud Private Relay.

The UK network operators claimed that the service is bad for users, anti-competitive, and a threat to the security of its users and the country.

UK's CMA to Regulate iCloud Private Relay

According to MacRumors, the UK network operators have raised concerns that iCloud Private Relay can negatively impact internet safety, business competition, and user experience.

The iCloud Private Relay was launched with Apple's iOS 15, ensuring that all traffic leaving your iPhone, Mac computer, or iPad is encrypted using two separate internet relays, so companies can't use your personal information like your location, IP address, and online activity to create a profile about you, according to 9to5Mac.

After a formal complaint about the iCloud Private Relay was filed, Mobile UK claimed that the service had undesired side-effects for users.

Also Read: iCloud+ Private Relay: How to Set It Up on Mac

Mobile UK noted that iCloud Private Relay affects users in many ways, beyond what level of privacy a user wants.

Apple users had a bad browsing experience after using the service. This pushed users to migrate away from the Safari browser to apps downloaded from the App Store, where Apple can earn a commission.

iCloud Private Relay prevents network providers from viewing Safari's network traffic and all unencrypted applications, according to MacHash.

In preventing network operators from seeing the traffic, Mobile UK said that the iCloud Private Relay does not allow service providers to understand patterns across mobile networks. This prevents them from effectively diagnosing customer issues.

Also, iCloud Private Relay is alleged to compromise malware, content filtering, anti-scamming, and phishing protection the network providers provide.

Mobile UK also stated that iCloud Private Relay is a threat to national security because it impairs the insights available under the Government's investigatory powers, with implications for law enforcement regarding terrorism, child sexual abuse, serious organized crime, and exploitation.

Private Relay allows Apple to leverage its considerable market power into many areas of the market, thus entrenching its position.

Mobile UK said due to iCloud Private Relay, some providers were unable to use the traffic data to develop their competing mobile browsers in the future and other services that compete with Apple.

Restrictions on Network Providers

Network providers would no longer use web traffic data over Safari to create their digital products and services that compete with Apple.

For example, a network provider can no longer have access to information about a user's content viewing habits to create content that competes with Apple TV.

Also, a network provider may no longer be able to share consumer insight with third-party companies that give digital advertising services in competition with Apple Search Ads.

Mobile UK asserts that the ability of UK Internet Service Providers or ISPs to differentiate and compete in the market on better terms is actively undermined by iCloud Private Relay since Apple is becoming an ISP itself.

In September 2021, iCloud Private Relay suffered a security flaw and leaked IP addresses.

Earlier in 2022, iCloud Private Relay suffered an error in iOS 15 Beta.