Anyone use Apple's private relay service?
306 sats \ 6 comments \ @brandonsbytes 30 Aug 2023 tech
Apple's private relay service is sort of Apple's VPN-like service. It only covers traffic from safari. I tend to "trust" apple, with a grain of salt, when it comes to privacy because they are predominately a hardware company. Obviously, not real "trust", but I see their incentive would be to protect my privacy because they want me to buy more of their hardware.
The private relay only works with safari, so that is annoying. Not all your traffic goes through the service. Not sure why that is.
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21 sats \ 1 reply \ @DarthCoin 30 Aug 2023
Wrong question. Right question is: is somebody else in his right mind still using Apple products?
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1270 sats \ 0 replies \ @brandonsbytes OP 30 Aug 2023
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @k00b 30 Aug 2023
I use it because presumably it's not worse than being without it. We should all be using VPNs though.
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100 sats \ 0 replies \ @Spiralnebel 30 Aug 2023
Using Proton Unlimited is a better way to improve Privacy. You can use the VPN Wireguard profiles on Router level (TOR configs available too), use SimpleLogin Aliases which is included to PGP encrypt mails, have a secure Mailbox with own client, a Password Manager (i prefer others who work offline) and you have encrypted Cloud drive.
By the way - Private Relay can be turned of in iCloud for Mail and in the Settings of Safari, Wifi connection and mobile connectoon!
On top set up a NextDNS Profile and set it up in your Router. DNS over HTTPS or TLS preferred.
Thus way you can use also Orbot ans the TOR Browser.
To get sure i would disable mobile data and enabke airplane mode to prevent packets get routed outside the tunnel.
I love those tiny travel routers from GL Inet that make the setup very easy and allow to block non von traffic, set up custom dns and much more.
I do not trust apple anymore sending all my data through their services.
And all sensitive stuff just touches my Google Pixel with Geaphene that don‘t depend on a controlled AppStore and cut iff all spyware.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @chairman_pretense 30 Aug 2023
It's probably less shady than a lot of the influencer sponsored VPNs, and all the free VPNs which are just data harvesting traps.
It's also good for advancing the idea of privacy as a default.
Should you use it if you're doing some Snowden level activity that's going to attract the attention of nation states? Obviously not.
Should you considering getting out of Apples ecosystem? Probably, yes. But I wouldn't encourage anyone to jump from iOS straight into Googles Android data harvesting operation. That's no improvement.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @final 30 Aug 2023
From what I know Private Relay is by default on all the new iDevices, and also covers email contents too. I guess with the mass of Apple users, having a system-wide private relay for every iDevice would be too much infrastructure?
Apple could in practice have a paid one as part of iCloud+ but maybe there's more to it. I don't use Apple products so I couldn't tell you.
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