Watchdog Investigation Finds 'Major Weaknesses' in Apple's App Store Child Safety Measures

[bollman]

BS! You buy the phone, you are the parent, there are parental controls, grow a pair and use them. Here is. good tutorial from Apple on how to do it:

Use parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

With Screen Time, there are a number of settings and parental controls that you can use to help keep your child's device usage safe, private, and age appropriate.

support.apple.com

Or do you advocate, parents cede their rights and responsibilities to corporations?

MacRumors had an article how that doesn't really work as intended, here let me give you the link:

Watchdog Investigation Finds 'Major Weaknesses' in Apple's App Store Child Safety Measures

The non-profit watchdog group Campaign for Accountability today released a report revealing "major weaknesses" in Apple's App Store child...

www.macrumors.com

Oh, wait, it's the article you're commenting, whoops.

 

[Wildkraut]

Apple has an age rating system and parents can block their kids from downloading apps based on the age rating. I’m not sure what else they can do. Should they just block apps based on the age on their Apple ID? I think parents should be acting like the parents here, not apple.

What about enforcing Passport or ID verification to all AppleIDs, else an AppleID can just access 0ys rated Apps. After the CSAM fiasco this would be the right way to full fill the espionage.

 

[Khedron]

Technology can always only do so much. At some point Parents need to... Parent. If you can't do that, maybe you shouldn't have kids.

If you can’t even implement basic age filters then maybe don’t claim you’re so important you deserve 30% of everyone else’s income.

 

[axantas]

Just trash iOS 15 as a general failure dear Apple and proceed to iOS 16...
I will stay on 14 in the meantime. Apple starts to disappoint me day by day. Something unexpectedly irritating.
I am really confused.

 

[jwsf28]

Not just privacy. Cost. Apple has unilaterally decided to use its customers resources to perform checks on themselves. Checks which Apple hasn’t been doing for years even though they could because they didn’t want to pay the bill.

And what is this proposed cost increase to the consumer?

 

[farewelwilliams]

Just trash iOS 15 as a general failure dear Apple and proceed to iOS 16...
I will stay on 14 in the meantime. Apple starts to disappoint me day by day. Something unexpectedly irritating.
I am really confused.

this has nothing to do with iOS15.

no wonder you're really confused.

 

[farewelwilliams]

So, then why does Apple need to make iOS 15 into the spiPhone??
Totally double standard.

they didn't.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Parents should take control or hire a nanny. Apple is not their nanny.
You can put all kind of controls on kids, but if they want, they can find another way and go around them easily.
Why not educate them so they know what's right and what's wrong, and make good decisions even when nobody is watching them?

 

[antiprotest]

Technology can always only do so much. At some point Parents need to... Parent. If you can't do that, maybe you shouldn't have kids.

I agree with this, but the article is addressing Apple's claims about its safety features and standards.

 

[usagora]

Well, couldn't any minor create an Apple ID and just lie about their DOB anyway?

 

[Khedron]

Parents should take control or hire a nanny. Apple is not their nanny.
You can put all kind of controls on kids, but if they want, they can find another way and go around them easily.
Why not educate them so they know what's right and what's wrong, and make good decisions even when nobody is watching them?

So if you put your TV on a children’s channel and they suddenly start broadcasting hardcore porn then you should just say “oh well I suppose I should have taken more control of the TV station”?

 

[WiseAJ]

If you can’t even implement basic age filters then maybe don’t claim you’re so important you deserve 30% of everyone else’s income.

If you don't like Apple taking 30% of your income then maybe don't develop for them

 

[Scotticus]

Doing something basic like not allowing a known minor to download 17+ apps?Too much trouble
Building spyware onto your phone that scans every image to determine if you're a pedo (and later a democracy advocate, an activist, or a dissident)? Coming out on iOS 15 this fall!

 

[WiseAJ]

I agree with this, but the article is addressing Apple's claims about its safety features and standards.

If a kid is motivated enough and a parent isn't being a parent then they will find away around any safety feature or restriction. Without Apple's built in features and closed eco-system it would be even easier for them.

 

[Khedron]

Well, couldn't any minor create an Apple ID and just lie about their DOB anyway?

That’s not the point. Apple isn’t responsible for keeping people honest. But if someone says “I am actually a child” and Apple says “here’s a load of sex apps anyway” then it kind of demolishes any claim that they care about protecting children.

 

[I7guy]

An argument to allow 3rd party stores… the end is nigh for AppStore as we know it… first Korea, then EU, then USA, then China, then the world… anyway, currently the ripoff apps abound without control. Poor Apple, did very little to actually control the App Store. Machine detection is not as effective as human detection…. Trillion dollar company and can’t work it out…

Yeah, if allowed the proliferation of third party app stores is going to shoot any hope of protecting children online.

 

[Khedron]

If a kid is motivated enough and a parent isn't being a parent then they will find away around any safety feature or restriction. Without Apple's built in features and closed eco-system it would be even easier for them.

The point is they don’t need any motivation. Apple is actively opening the door to sex apps for children.

How about we make grooming legal because if a parent is being a parent they’ll surely stop their child being raped anyway?

 

[axantas]

this has nothing to do with iOS15.

no wonder you're really confused

Ok, I got confused about that "child protection" thing - you are right.
Trash both then. Do things right or do not do them at all. No tinkering. No handicrafting.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Did they set up any kind of parental controls in "Settings"?

 

[giggles]

Why did CfA write this report now and not 6 months ago? Or 2 years ago?

It’s almost like this is an hot topic and now we all know who CfA are..

 

[Amazing Iceman]

So if you put your TV on a children’s channel and they suddenly start broadcasting hardcore porn then you should just say “oh well I suppose I should have taken more control of the TV station”?

If it was a regular broadcast station or Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, I'll sue the heck out of them. And I'm sure the FCC will go after them.

If it's Cable TV, have you heard of Parental Control?

Children would most likely call one of their parents or change the channel in disgust. They would most likely be confused. Have you ever seen children covering their eyes during a kissing scene in a movie?

Teenagers will do what they were taught to do. They will either keep watching or change the channel.
If they want to watch porn, they will go online and find a free site for it, whether you like it or not. Who are you going to blame for that? The Internet?

 

[Khedron]

Why did CfA write this report now and not 6 months ago? Or 2 years ago?

It’s almost like this is an hot topic and now we all know who CfA are..

Google started CSAM checks in 2013.

Why has Apple decided children only deserve to be protected from next month?

 

[usagora]

That’s not the point. Apple isn’t responsible for keeping people honest. But if someone says “I am actually a child” and Apple says “here’s a load of sex apps anyway” then it kind of demolishes any claim that they care about protecting children.

Well, I think it IS the point. If a child is searching for these sorts of apps, then they are going to be savvy enough to create another Apple ID with a fake DOB, even if the restrictions for their actual DOB are in place. But that's assuming they have their own device with no restrictions. Seems to me that any parent with their head on straight would not give their child an unrestricted iPhone, but instead would block app store purchases unless approved by the parent.

 

[usagora]

Google started CSAM checks in 2013.

Why has Apple decided children only deserve to be protected from next month?

So using that "logic", are you also asking why Google took until 2013 to decide children deserved to be protected? So if you didn't implement checks from the get-go, you should never implement them? Very odd line of reasoning to say the least.

 

[Khedron]

So using that "logic", are you also asking why Google took until 2013 to decide children deserved to be protected? So if you didn't implement checks from the get-go, you should never implement them? Very odd line of reasoning to say the least.

Sorry, they actually started hash checks in 2008.

So that’s 13 years of Apple refusing to participate in checking for CSAM because they didn’t want to pay the price themselves.

Now they can pass on the cost they’re acting like they really care.