Key facts
- Apple is changing its Hide My Email privacy feature, moving generated addresses to @private.icloud.com.
- The change aims to make it easier for apps and websites to identify and potentially block anonymous sign-ups.
- Existing Hide My Email addresses will continue to forward messages.
- Users have expressed concerns on Reddit that the change will reduce the feature's effectiveness.
- Apple has not publicly stated a reason for the modification.
Apple plans to alter its Hide My Email privacy feature, a move that could diminish its effectiveness in allowing users to create anonymous online accounts. The company announced that in the coming weeks, anonymously generated email addresses, currently using the @icloud.com domain, will be shifted to a new @private.icloud.com domain.
This change is expected to make it simpler for applications and websites to distinguish between regular and anonymously generated email addresses, potentially enabling them to block users who sign up using the privacy feature. Apple stated that existing addresses will continue to function and forward messages without interruption. However, app and email providers may need to update their filtering systems to ensure continued delivery to customers using the service.
Several Apple users have voiced criticism on Reddit, expressing concerns that the domain change will make the Hide My Email feature less useful. Apple has not provided a public explanation for the modification or responded to requests for comment. Earlier this year, reports indicated that Apple had provided user information associated with an anonymized email address to authorities in relation to an allegedly threatening email sent to the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel. The Trump administration has previously sought to unmask anonymous online accounts through subpoenas.