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PSA: Apple’s Private Relay can leak your real IP address
Researchers revealed that Apple's Private Relay, which is designed to hide users' IP addresses while browsing in Safari, can actually leak their real IPs due to flaws in the WebKit engine. A testing website was created to verify this leak. The feature is only for iCloud+ subscribers and works exclusively with Safari, unlike VPNs. The researchers opted not to report the issue to Apple due to past communication issues.
Key points
- Researchers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk discovered flaws in Apple’s Private Relay feature.
- These flaws allow the real IP address of users to be leaked while using Safari.
- A testing website was launched to check for IP leaks, confirming the issue.
- The problem is attributed to three features within Apple's WebKit browser engine.
- Private Relay is an exclusive feature for iCloud+ subscribers and does not function like a traditional VPN.
- The researchers opted against reporting the issue to Apple due to concerns about communication delays and potential denial of the issue's impact.
Why it matters
- This incident reflects ongoing concerns about privacy tools and their effectiveness.
- Similar privacy issues have arisen with other tech products, raising questions about user data security.
- In 2025, trends show increasing emphasis on privacy and security in digital tools, including demands for transparency in features like Private Relay.
This revelation about Apple's Private Relay underscores the complexities of digital privacy, highlighting that even tools advertised for user protection can have significant flaws.