iOS 14.5 helps users hide IP from Google scrutiny

Specifically, Apple will redirect all fraudulent website testing sessions through its own proxy server. This is a solution to help protect Apple users from leaking IP addresses for Google.

Before that, Apple integrated the Safari browser on iOS feature "Phishing Website Warning" . This feature will warn users about dangerous websites that have been reported as fraudulent, malicious or dangerous.

To do this, Apple relies on Google's Safe Browsing website checker (or Tencent for Chinese users). These tools will check the website the user visited and compare it with the reported phishing site data. If coincidence, Safari will block users from visiting that website and display a warning.

This method does not reveal the URL that the user wants to visit with Google or Tencent. However, it will leak the device's IP address.

So, on iOS 14.5 Apple will reroute the verification process through a proxy owned by Apple. As a result, all user requests are derived from the same Apple IP.

This change is one of the measures towards the protection of user privacy that Apple has recently implemented. Currently, Apple has a program that requires developers to publicize the data they track of users.

Currently, iOS 14.5 is in beta with beta 2, the official version is expected to be released later this spring.

Samuel Daniel

Update 20 February 2021