All you need is for NSA to sneak a non-related but “interested” photo into the database, then it will be reported.
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Apple Open to Expanding New Child Safety Features to Third-Party Apps
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The issue isn't the likelihood of false hash matches, it's the precedent set by scanning people's photos for illegal content.
The funny part is they probably cracked the iPhone without Apple's help anyway. Such products exist, at least for the older phones. Hardware security only goes so far when, at the root of things, there's very little entropy in that 6-digit passcode.
It’s not, as long as the legal guardian gives consent.
I don't care what most kids have. *I* had a smartphone as a kid (or at least under-18) too. It's pointless.
Then you can’t speak for most parents and most kids.
And, by kids, I mean prepubescent.
I don't have to. My kid doesn't get a smartphone, and I think it's dumb that the others have them.
We're already in the unlikely-sounding situation those privacy freaks warned us about years ago. Those people who use Linux (and pretend it doesn't suck), avoid the cloud, and follow rms. I'm not saying they were right for the right reasons, but things happened that way. It's no longer speculation that Apple might one day roll out mass surveillance features.
Yes. It's absolutely stupid, and people of my generation have significantly worse social skills as a result. Plus it's a waste of money.
Btw, not too long ago, it wasn't the social norm at all.
You've just identified the next version of swatting. That's a pretty big what if scenario though.
As with everything in the news lately, we need more information than what is currently being released. There's an awful lot of implications doing some heavy lifting for this current issue, with convenient timing.
Apple is using the database provided by NCMEC, plus they are the ones compiling and submitting the reports to said organisation, so other organisations would simply not be able to get around Apple to spy on users.
Apple has also said that CSAM can’t be used to target a specific individual since the same set of hashes is stored on the OS of every iOS device. If you are worried that the government of another country may try to force Apple to build a new detection system to identify other kinds of content, I don’t think there is anything Apple can say which would alleviate your concern.
It ultimately comes down to consumer trust. Which is why Apple is being upfront and truthful with customers right here, right now. And that is why Apple still has my trust for the moment.
I imagine any entity willing to do the extent of adding a completely unrelated photo to this database without detection (especially a foreign government), would already possess the means to infiltrate your smartphone using a myriad of other alternatives. For example, China already possesses easier and more practical means of doing so via Wechat.
So it still comes down to “it’s technically possible, but probably very likely” territory.
I agree that the scenario I described is a pretty big what if but, it is certainly within the realm of possibility, given people have their account taken over (for X period of time).
I know a lot of people like to use iCloud Photo for the convenience and syncing but, in my opinion, there is too much risk from wolves and from wolves acting like lambs.
If you have access to someone's account, you can probably already do this sort of damage. Send emails to self about plotting something awful, done. In general I'm not concerned about the system, as currently implemented, being a problem. I'm concerned about what it will turn into.
I suspect they don’t really know the details of Apple’s actions either, and it makes me wonder what is going on behind the scenes with such privacy advocacy groups.
It’s also ironic that WhatsApp immediately went after Apple, in a move I can only describe as sheer and utter hypocrisy.
But I guess it’s simply been way too long since the last “Apple vs the world” debacle, hasn’t it?
WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Google did not even have the balls to pull what Apple is doing by mass installing surveillance software to customers phones. They kept that kind of software on their servers which they own.
Maybe it’s the standards that need to be changed then. I won’t be surprised if this ends up being another headphone jack scenario where Apple receives all the flak for doing something, then everyone else hops on board once Apple has taken all the heat and made a particular practice both mainstream and socially acceptable.
Besides, I am pretty sure including such a feature is probably covered under the TOS somewhere which gives Apple ownership and control of the software on your device.
The problem is, Apple owns the software but they do not own the phone once sold. I imagine a judge is not going to be okay green lighting software manufacturer's installing surveillance software on cellphones.
How would WhatsApp, a company which doesn’t even make photos, even go about doing such a thing? They scan for images on their servers because that is the only thing they do control.
Apple controls the hardware and the software, so of course they would be able to accomplish a particular task in a manner that other companies can’t.
Each is simply leveraging on their individual areas of expertise to tackle an existing problem.
If people are so desperate to reach that far for something to live in fear of, they probably should not own a smart device.