Apple’s plan to scan phones for child abuse worries privacy advocates
Apple for years has focused on adding new programs to its phones, all designed to make life easier. Its systems scan emails for new calendar appointments, and its Siri voice assistant suggests to call friends on their birthdays. But Apple’s latest feature is focused on abuse.
The tech giant said in a new section of its website published Thursday that it plans to add scanning software to its iPhones, iPads, Mac computers and Apple Watches when the new iOS 15, iPad OS 15, MacOS Monterey and WatchOS 8 operating systems all launch in the fall. The new program, which Apple said is designed to “limit the spread of child sexual abuse material” is part of a new collaboration between the company and child safety experts.
Discover more from Florida Action Committee (FAC)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Goodbye Iphone hello Android……
Again, the NCMEC exists mainly because of John Walsh. They are the ones responsible for strong-arming and nagging Apple into they caved. Who stands to benefit the most from this? The NCMEC, U.S. Marshals, the local sheriffs and the local media that loves to feature this garbage. And anyone that is against this practice will conveniently be outed as a “pedo sympathizer.”
So now the registry is going to be even MORE bloated than it already is with people on it for non-violent, non-contact offenses. In fact, CP offensives will most likely take over the largest percentage.
I strongly encourage anyone with an iPhone or Samsung to revert back to a “burner” flip-phone because this is just the beginning people..
The registry is going to be more bloated with a lot of the keyboard warriors who like to leave comments on news articles about how they’d like to see a sex offender “hanged, lynched, shot”, etc. and in my opinion- GOOD! They’ll get a taste of what it’s like to be on the receiving end of their hatred and ignorance. Apple claims that pics of your own kids looking all cute while taking a bath will not trigger the software. Ha! Sure it won’t.
It was a thing back in the day to take pics of babies getting baths in the kitchen sink because babies fit in the kitchen sink. No reason to fill up a huge bath tub for a tiny person.
Can’t wait for all the keyboard warriors to end up getting that knock on their doors. Karma.
‘Facts Should Matter’…
Just to Clarify…it is iOS Mobile and iOS Cloud , not Android (Samsung)…
The Technology is called ‘HASHING’
For Images, Photos, and the Like…it is NOT 100% Accurate…there is generally a fault rate of less than 1%…so it is not perfect; unlike on numerical or alpha-numerical sequences….so therein lies the PROBLEM…
..the algorithms create lots of false positives…
Even before all this, I’ve never liked a CRAPple product. But this certainly goes against all their touting their previous privacy policies.
Derek
Not sure if you remember this, but a few year back, they busted Alexa, Siri and couple of other devices for being hacked. Kids would be playing with their toys and yell “Mom, some man is talking to me on the Alexa”.
So who is to say, with this software, what some rogue employee could do with it.
Well Apple can kiss a lot of their business down the drain. The majority of people don’t like the idea of snooping around in their personal life, and this is a major occurrence of just that. Doesn’t matter if they’re perfect law abiding citizens, it’s simply the principal of the fact.
Thanks for posting my story submission.
When I read it, I really could not make heads or tails out of what they are going to do with this, but it doesn’t sound good. Regardless if anyone is looking at porn or not, it reeks of “Big Brother” and the sanctity of the rights of privacy.
I knew Google scans my emails for calendar appointments and exhorting coupons or offers. I guess I never considered how much privacy I was giving up for the sake of convenience.
Will they be scanning for for intent to commit other crimes in the future? This is kinda scary.
I have not used Google for many years now. I used DuckDuckGo for my default search engine and Firefox for my browser.
I do not use any cloud based email (hotmail, aol, gmail) but rather operate my own private server (hosted out of the jurisdiction of the USA gov) on my personal website.
NO Social Media accounts (for countless reasons – privacy being just one)!