Apple’s plan to change a privacy feature that allows paying customers to hide their real email addresses when creating online accounts could make it easier for apps and websites to block anonymous signups.
Apple’s Hide My Email is an iCloud+ feature that creates anonymous email addresses underneath @icloud.com domain, then forwards messages to the person’s real email address. The reason these privately created email addresses work is because they are no different from regular Apple users who also use email addresses. @icloud.com domain.
Apple said Note to developers on Monday in the coming weeks, the company is migrating anonymously generated email addresses @private.icloud.comeffectively makes it easy for apps and websites to know their email address is private and prevents users from signing up.
Existing addresses will continue to work and deliver mail without interruption, Apple said in a note to developers. The company added that the app and email providers will need to update their filtering to ensure that emails sent to customers using the feature get through.
Several Apple users on Reddit criticized the change to the email domainsaid that it will make it difficult to use the service.
Apple did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment on the change or explain why it made the change.
Earlier this year TechCrunch reported that Apple handed over a user’s real account information he created an anonymous email address using Hide My Email to send threatening emails to FBI Director Kash Patel’s girlfriend.
The Trump administration has made efforts for this in the last year Hide anonymous accountsincluding Trump’s critics, using subpoenas to demand that tech companies hand over data about their users.
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