EU Mobile Operators Want Apple's iCloud Private Relay Service to Be Outlawed Over Concerns of 'Digital Sovereignty'

According to a report from The Telegraph, major EU mobile operators are looking for Apple's private relay service to be banned because it allegedly violates EU digital sovereignty.

iCloud Private Relay is a feature that protects users' data from Apple and third-party snoops. The first internet relay to be operated by Apple is the one that sends a user's internet requests.

The second relay is operated by a third-party company, which means no one, including Apple, can see what website a user visits. There is more information on Apple's website.

The European Commission received a letter from the five largest mobile operators in Europe regarding their concerns over the service. As per the report:

Mobile operators are locked in a power struggle with Apple after they urged regulators to outlaw the company's encryption technology. Some of Europe's biggest mobile operators want the European Commission to stop Apple from using private relay because it will prevent them from managing their networks.

In a letter seen by The Telegraph, the operators said that iCloud Private Relay "purports to enhance users' privacy when connecting to and browsing the internet by encrypting and redirecting traffic," but it also cuts off "networks and server from accessing vital network data and metadata, including those operators

The letter claimed that the iCloud Private Relay will have consequences for European digital sovereignty.

The operators called on the European Commission to label Apple as a "digital gatekeeper" under the EU Digital Markets Act. The report states that the label could stop Private Relay.

Some network operators in the UK are concerned. TalkTalk claimed in its own letter that it would be harder to block dangerous content. In a statement to The Telegraph, TalkTalk said it is assessing how to respond to this shift and keep its customers safe.

It's not clear when Apple will bring iCloud Private Relay out of the public eye. The European Commission has not responded to a letter from the EU's largest mobile operators. We reached out to Apple to discuss the concerns raised in the letter.