Four European mobile operators have written to the European Commission claiming that Apple's iCloud Private Relay in iOS 15 undermines "digital sovereignty" and should be stopped.
Apple's Private Relay, currently in beta, is a VPN-like service for iOS 15, iPadOS 15 and macOS Monterey that protects users from revealing their exact location data. It has already been confirmed that Apple will not make the feature available in all countries. But now European network operators are demanding a local exclusion. In a letter to the European Commission sent in August 2021 and now published by The Telegraph viewed four mobile operators have raised their objections. T-Mobile, Orange, Vodafone and Telefonica jointly state that Apple's service "will have a significant impact on Europe's digital sovereignty". The letter states:
Is Apple's iCloud Private Relay in danger?
In addition, Private Relay will prevent others from innovating and competing in downstream digital markets and may negatively impact operators' ability to manage telecommunications networks efficiently.
Apple could potentially be prevented from launching Private Relay if it is classified as a "digital gatekeeper" under the EU's Digital Markets Act. However, this law, which has already been delayed several times, still needs to be passed by European governments, so the outcome remains open for now. (Photo by manae / Bigstockphoto)
