INVESTIGATES
Whether there’s a VPN flaw in ios
Why Apple’s privacy credentials are being called into question by a growing number of security experts
WRITTEN BY CHARLOTTE HENRY
Throughout
its
history,
Apple
has
put
a
high
value
on
user
privacy. This has become an even more fundamental part of its branding and messaging in recent years. At every product launch, the company highlights privacy and security features.
CEO Tim Cook, promoting a video discussing Apple’s approach to privacy, tweeted: “Privacy is a fundamental right and we build it into all our products and services at Apple.”
For some Mac fans, though, those features are not enough. Many like to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to add a further layer of protection, particularly when using insecure public networks. A VPN provides those users with a private network. The so-called ‘VPN tunnel’ means data is passed as if a device is directly connected to a private network. Many VPN providers also offer encryption for added protection. Apple users can easily access the VPN of their choice on their Macs, iPads and iPhones.
However, there has been increasing controversy about an apparent bug in iOS which means the VPNs are not as secure as users and service providers would wish it to be. Worse still, the problem has seemingly existed for years.
On 25 March 2020, Proton – the company which offers Proton VPN amongst its suite of software tools – Apple has introduced a number of measures to increase consumers’ privacy and security.