By Kashmira Konduparty
Technology giant Apple is preparing to change its privacy feature that allows users hide their real email addresses when signing up for apps and websites, and could now make it easier for apps and websites to block anonymous sign-ups, according to TechCrunch.
The company told developers this week that it plans to move newly generated Hide My Email addresses from the standard “@icloud.com” domain to a separate “@private.icloud.com” domain in the coming weeks. Existing addresses will continue to function normally and will keep forwarding messages to user’ real inboxes, Apple said in a note.
The Hide My Email feature available through Apple’s iCloud+ subscription service, allows users to create random email addresses that forward messages to their personal accounts. The feature is designed to help users avoid sharing their actual email addresses with websites, apps and online services while maintaining control over who can contact them.
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The change has prompted concerns among privacy advocates and some Apple users because the new domain cloud makes it easier for websites and apps to identify when a customer is using a masked email address. Under the current system, Hide My Email addresses use the same “@icloud.com” domain as ordinary Apple email accounts, making them difficult to distinguish from standard user addresses.
Once the change takes effect, companies will be able to recognize addresses ending in “@private.icloud.com” and could choose to block them from creating accounts or accessing certain services. Critics argue that this could reduce the usefulness of the privacy feature, particularly for users who rely on anonymous email addresses to limit tracking or protect personal information online.
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Several users voiced their concerns on Reddit saying that separating the domains would undermine one of the feature’s key advantages by making private addresses easier to identify.
Earlier this year, TechCrunch reported that Apple provided account information linked to a Hide My Email address in response to a law enforcement investigation, showing the limits of anonymity features when companies receive valid legal requests.
Apple said developers and email providers may need to update their filtering systems to ensure messages sent to the new addresses continue to be delivered directly. The company added that the transition should not interrupt email forwarding process for the existing users.