106 MACWORLD AUGUST 2021
WORKINGMAC i CLOUD+ PRIVATE RELAYjob of preventing profiling of your web
activity based on your basic connection
data. But it has a lot of shortcomings
when compared to a real VPN. Some of
these include:
It only works with Safari, not any of
the other apps or web browsers you use.
Technically, some other DNS info and a
small subset of app-related web traffic will
use it, but it’s best to think of it as a Safari-
only thing.
It’s easily identifiable as a proxy
server, which many large networks—like
those at schools or businesses—will not
work with. Most good
VPNs disguise
themselves to look
like regular traffic from
a nonproxy server.
As mentioned, it
can’t hide the region
you’re connecting
from, only your
specific IP location, so
you can’t access
content locked out of
your region or
experience websites
as if you’re connecting
from another country.
If all you really
want to do is stop
websites from building
a profile of you and
selling it around to advertisers and data
brokers, then using iCloud Private Relay
on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac when it’s
available in the fall of 2021 is a great
option. It’s fast and easy, and if you already
pay for any amount of iCloud storage,
you’ll get it for free.
If you want real privacy and security for
everything you do on the Internet, or want
to access content that’s available in
countries other than your own, you’ll still
need a VPN. Fortunately, we have some
VPN recommendations (fave.co/3Ao3N0D)
for you. ■If you want real privacy and security for everything you do on the
Internet, you’ll still need a VPN.