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Apple: We're not handing over Safari URLs to Tencent, just IP addresses (theregister.co.uk)

601 points by notlukesky · 2558 days ago · 201 comments on HN

Article summary

Apple's Safari browser uses a safe browsing feature that checks website URLs against lists of known malicious sites, and for users in mainland China, it receives this list from Tencent. Apple insists that it does not share the actual URLs visited by users with Tencent, but rather a hashed prefix of the URL. However, some experts point out that this information could still be used to infer which websites a user is visiting. The feature can be turned off by users, but some argue that Apple should provide more transparency about how the feature works and what data is being shared.

Main themes

  • Safe Browsing
  • User Privacy
  • Censorship and Surveillance
  • Data Sharing
  • Security vs. Privacy
  • Transparency and Accountability
  • China and Internet Regulation

What commenters say

  • The safe browsing feature's use of hashed URL prefixes may not be sufficient to protect user privacy, as it could still be possible to infer which websites a user is visiting.
  • The fact that Tencent can see the IP addresses of users who have their region set to mainland China is a significant privacy concern.
  • It is unlikely that Tencent would be able to use the hashed URL prefixes to build a detailed profile of a user's browsing habits, due to the computational complexity of the task.
  • The use of a proxy or caching service could potentially help to improve user privacy by reducing the amount of data that is shared with Tencent.
  • The safe browsing feature is not unique to Apple and is used by other browsers as well, but the fact that Tencent is involved raises concerns about the potential for censorship and surveillance.
  • The feature's ability to be turned off by users is not sufficient to address the privacy concerns, as many users may not be aware of the feature or how to disable it.
  • The use of hashed URL prefixes is a necessary compromise between security and privacy, as it allows the safe browsing feature to function while minimizing the amount of data that is shared.
  • The lack of transparency about how the safe browsing feature works and what data is being shared is a significant concern, and Apple should provide more information to users about how their data is being used.