Apple to change Hide My Email domain, potentially weakening privacy
Original: Apple plans to change its Hide My Email privacy feature that could make it less effective
Why This Matters
Change undermines privacy feature's core function while reflecting broader tensions between anonymity tools and law enforcement access demands.
Apple will move Hide My Email anonymously generated addresses from @icloud.com to @private.icloud.com domain in coming weeks, making it easier for apps and websites to identify and block anonymous sign-ups while existing addresses continue functioning.
Apple's Hide My Email is an iCloud+ feature that generates anonymous email addresses forwarding messages to users' real email addresses. The feature's effectiveness relied on these private addresses being indistinguishable from regular @icloud.com addresses used by standard Apple users. Apple notified developers on Monday that it will move all anonymously generated emails to @private.icloud.com within weeks. This change will enable apps and websites to identify private email addresses and potentially block users from signing up with them. Existing addresses will continue functioning without interruption, though email providers must update their filtering systems. Several Apple users criticized the change on Reddit, expressing concern it would reduce the service's utility. Apple has not publicly explained the rationale for the modification or responded to requests for comment. Earlier in 2026, TechCrunch reported Apple turned over real account information of a Hide My Email user who sent an allegedly threatening email using the anonymized address. The incident occurred amid broader Trump administration efforts to unmask anonymous accounts, including critics' accounts, through subpoenas demanding user information from tech companies.