Apple Delays Rollout of Controversial Child Safety Features to Make Improvements

[MacRumors]

Apple has delayed the rollout of the Child Safety Features that it announced last month following negative feedback, the company has today announced.

The planned features include scanning users' iCloud Photos libraries for Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Communication Safety to warn children and their parents when receiving or sending sexually explicit photos, and expanded CSAM guidance in Siri and Search.

Apple confirmed that feedback from customers, non-profit and advocacy groups, researchers, and others about the plans has prompted the delay to give the company time to make improvements. Apple issued the following statement about its decision:

Last month we announced plans for features intended to help protect children from predators who use communication tools to recruit and exploit them, and limit the spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material. Based on feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers and others, we have decided to take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features.

Following their announcement, the features were criticized by a wide range of individuals and organizations, including security researchers, the privacy whistleblower Edward Snowden, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Facebook's former security chief, politicians, policy groups, university researchers, and even some Apple employees. Apple has since endeavored to dispel misunderstandings and reassure users by releasing detailed information, sharing FAQs, various new documents, interviews with company executives, and more.

The suite of Child Safety Features were originally set to debut in the United States with an update to iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and macOS Monterey. It is now unclear when Apple plans to roll out the "critically important" features, but the company still appears to be intent on releasing them.

Article Link: Apple Delays Rollout of Controversial Child Safety Features to Make Improvements

 

[fenderbass146]

Very good, glad the groundswell has them revisiting it

 

[lolkthxbai]

🙄 public opinion strikes again

 

[HeavenDynamic]

Looks like they want to clear the path for iPhone season.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Oh God! Don’t just delay it. CANCEL THIS, Apple. Can’t you see… people won’t be ordering the new iPhone 13 if you launch this child safety crap.

 

[gknewell]

I understand why this is a slippery slope but I don’t like the idea of child predators breathing a sigh of relief.

 

[Airforcekid]

Just going to wait until everyone forgets and do a quite release a .1 update with some security enhancement etc..

 

[redbeard331]

Didn’t think Tim Apple would respond so quickly to my email!

 

[dantracht]

Just going to wait until everyone forgets and do a quite release a .1 update with some security enhancement etc..

Spot on.

 

[Bokito]

Good, now

mv ~/Projects/Apple-csam/ > /dev/null

the whole thing.

 

[yellow8]

I wonder with what they'll come up with!

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Just going to wait until everyone forgets and do a quite release a .1 update with some security enhancement etc..

Apple can’t do that. Because if found out… Apple can get into serious legal trouble with the consumers.

Just waiting on Tim to cancel this CSAM, waiting for him to read all these comments. People are against this feature. That’s the bottom line. 🥺

Let’s get this CSAM to shut down.

Protect your FREEDOM, PRIVACY & RIGHTS.

or should I say…

Protect your WIFE, KIDS & FAMILY.

 

[DelayedGratificationGene]

I wonder how many additional children will be victimized from now until then? Apple the greatest company in history with the greatest humanitarian intentions forced to deal with grandstanding ignorant politicians and self centered selfish advocacy groups. It’s unbelievable!

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I wonder with what they'll come up with!

They will end up CANCELLING IT. 🤫

It’s been a hot mess. Even good ol’ Craig (executive) admitted it. He knew Apple’s approach was wrong.

Craig Federighi Acknowledges Confusion Around Apple Child Safety Features and Explains New Details About Safeguards

Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, has today defended the company's controversial planned child safety...

www.macrumors.com

 

[tpfang56]

Good! They should do something but on-device scanning is not it.

 

[imnotthewalrus]

Didn’t think Tim Apple would respond so quickly to my email!

You beat me to the punch! I DID actually send him an email...

 

[tonywalker23]

YES!

“Ultimately, saying that you don’t care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different from saying you don’t care about freedom of speech because you have nothing to say. Or that you don’t care about freedom of the press because you don’t like to read. Or that you don’t care about freedom of religion because you don’t believe in God. Or that you don’t care about the freedom to peaceably assemble because you’re a lazy, antisocial agoraphobe. Just because this or that freedom might not have meaning to you today doesn’t mean that it doesn’t or won’t have meaning tomorrow, to you, or to your neighbor – or to the crowds of principled dissidents I was following on my phone who were protesting halfway across the planet, hoping to gain just a fraction of the freedom that my country was busily dismantling.”

Ed Snowden, Permanent Record, pp. 208–209

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

MacRumors I can’t wait for the day when you post in the headline “Apple decides to cancel CSAM, period”.

Don’t lose your vision, Apple.

When it comes to privacy I want to have World-Class Protection from, Apple.

 

[Rogifan]

Whoever is in charge of Apple communications/PR should be fired. This and the developer settlement have been a complete cluster you know what.

 

[Paul_a]

"Honey, I thought you said you were switching from iPhone to Android because Android is better. Why did you change your mind again?"

 

[nt5672]

The proposed features are nothing but grandstanding to uninformed users. Hopefully they will just cancel CASM.

 

[axantas]

Just trash it completely. Now.

 

[Axelle838]

So Apple cares about the screeching minority after all?

 

[kk200]

Just going to wait until everyone forgets and do a quite release a .1 update with some security enhancement etc..

Exactly. At best when another Xxxx-Gate is dominating the headlines.

 

[falkon-engine]

Good, now

mv ~/Projects/Apple-csam/ > /dev/null

the whole thing.

Or

rm -rf ~/Projects/Apple-csam/