'Sign in with Apple' aims to replace Facebook authentication to keep user data private

In a bid to increase the security of an iPhone owner's identity, Apple revealed a new log-in option for apps called Sign In with Apple, an authentication system that minimizes the amount of the user's data used, as well as helping prevent tracking by social networks.

Many apps allow users to log in and set up accounts by authenticating with a social network, such as Facebook or Google, saving the user time. The tradeoff is that the authentication system can provide the app developer with a lot of data shared from a social media account, or could allow the company behind the authentication to track the user.

Apple's answer in iOS 13 is "Sign in with Apple," an API where supported apps place the user in a fresh new account without any identifying information or other data already filled in. This gives the users the ability to add just relevant data or the information they are prepared to share, without the potential oversharing offered by Facebook authentication.

The solution also goes further in protecting a user's email account, as for apps that require an email address, the user has the option to use their actual address or an anonymous one. For the latter, Apple creates a custom email address for the user specific to that app, which automatically forwards all email from that app to the user's actual email account.

As the email addresses are specific to an app, it also means an address can be shut down if the user does not want any more emails from that service after closing their account, minimizing potential unwanted messages.

AppleInsider will be reporting live throughout WWDC 2019, starting with the keynote on Monday, June 3. Get every announcement as it happens by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and by making sure to follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider, Facebook and Instagram.

25 Comments

rotateleftbyte 1630 comments · 12 Years

About 5 years ago

But...

To many millions of people, their whole world is Facebook, Twitter and everything Social Media. They won't want to change anything unless they can help it.

As someone who has blocked every FB domain and IP address at my Router I say well done Apple but TBH this is only 5 years too late.

StrangeDays 12960 comments · 8 Years

rotateleftbyte said:

But...
To many millions of people, their whole world is Facebook, Twitter and everything Social Media. They won't want to change anything unless they can help it.

As someone who has blocked every FB domain and IP address at my Router I say well done Apple but TBH this is only 5 years too late.

This doesn't replace Facebook. It's an alternative to signing into apps that require or push you to authenticate with Facebook or Google so the app dev doesn't have to manage authentication data. Now the app dev can get the same benefit but you the user don't have to trust Google or Facebook whatsoever.

anantksundaram 20390 comments · 18 Years

This is brilliant. Much needed!

I hope, however, that it will not mutate over time to involve the use of Apple's 2-factor authentication process (which is a bit of a pain IMHO).

airnerd 688 comments · 13 Years

THANK YOU APPLE! I have never used Facebook to log into anything, because I trust them (somehow) less than I trust Google. I just imagine if I use Facebook to sign in then they will target friends and family with whatever the site wants to sell. Instead I'll just use my anonymous email to sign up for sites so I stay somewhat anonymous except for what they can glean from me reading/writing/etc their site.

kkqd1337 468 comments · 12 Years

Good idea. But whilst our data is someone else’s business model we will never be safe. Why should we trust Apple more than any other company? I wouldn’t.