IOS 14.5 – Apple creates additional walls between user data and Google through Apple

Apple’s fraudulent website alert feature has long relied on Google’s secure browsing database (Safe browsing) To protect Safari users from phishing scams, but starting with iOS 14.5, Apple will offer this service, which is advertised through its own servers, to control the amount of data that Google may receive from you. Describing the service, Macromars explains How the database provides Safari with a list of websites suspected of data theft and malware installation. Safari specifies an email address with a directory provided by Google each time you visit a website. If it finds a match it warns you that you are going to put your computer at risk.

Like Chrome and Firefox, Safari uses Google’s Safe Browsing Update API, which encrypts the entire URL using the 32-bit prefix. That way, Google never knows which website you tried to visit. However, it retains the ability to collect information such as your IP address. By improving the service through its own servers, Apple can “Reduce the risk of information leakage“.

This change is part of a series of privacy improvements iOS 14.5. Another important feature is the ability to control the information requested during the installation of applications, as your approval is now required to monitor your browsing of other applications and websites. Companies like Facebook have already spoken out against this change, and it is getting ready Their own warnings Before the new Apple software update was widely available.