Apple’s Hide My Email feature is designed as a convenient privacy tool, using disposable addresses to shield users’ real email addresses for online anonymity. However, new research indicates a bug that may allow users’ true email addresses to be uncovered.
The vulnerability was reported by 404 Media, which says it tested and verified the issue exists. Tyler Murphy, the researcher who discovered the bug, stated he informed Apple over a year ago, and it remains unclear why the company has not yet fixed it. Murphy added that all attempts to exploit the bug have been successful.
“We don’t know the full scope of the issue, but in our limited tests with volunteers, 100% of Hide My Email addresses were exploitable,” Murphy told the outlet. Details of the vulnerability have not been publicly disclosed to avoid widespread exploitation.
Murphy is co-founder of EasyOptOuts, a paid data-removal service. He told 404 Media that “publicly accessible people-search sites make it easy to link an email address to other personal details, so people relying on Hide My Email for safety may be at risk.”
TechCrunch reached out to Apple for comment and will update this story if the company responds.
Broader Context: Apple’s Privacy Track Record
In the tech world, reliable privacy tools are often scarce, and even when they exist, they don’t always perform as expected. Apple has faced similar criticism before. For instance, in 2022, the company was sued after reports that iPhone apps continued sending analytics data to Apple even when the iPhone Analytics privacy setting was disabled.
More recently, in 2023, researchers found another Apple privacy feature to be effectively “useless.” That research claimed a tool meant to anonymize Wi-Fi connections by randomizing MAC addresses—an easily trackable identifier—was instead exposing users’ real MAC addresses.
Apple has built much of its reputation and branding on user privacy. As of 2026, the company continues to position itself as a leader in data protection, but recurring vulnerabilities like this could erode trust. Hopefully, Apple addresses the Hide My Email bug swiftly. Better standing behind its privacy promises would be a welcome change.
via TechCrunch