Apple inspects every file on the local device Before its uploaded. It’s just pinky promise only matched with the on device database when an upload is intended.
This is the key point.
1. What if I change my mind and decide not to upload the picture?
2. This is a new mechanism for scanning private pictures on the device. What could go wrong?
> If we can't trust Apple to follow their promise, their products should already have been considered compromised before this change was announced.
Many people did trust Apple to keep their files private until now.
>Many people did trust Apple to keep their files private until now.
And that was my original point. If a pinky promise from Apple is not enough to trust them, then Apple should have never been trusted.
You can choose to upload many pictures. They will start uploading. Then, you change your mind. Some pictures were not uploaded yet. But they were scanned by the new algorithm.
No it isn’t. It’s a mechanism for scanning pictures as they are uploaded to iCloud Photo Library.
Private pictures on the device are not scanned.
Also, what apps are you talking about?
As for apps - WhatsApp, for example, saves everything to Camera Roll by default. Which then gets auto-uploaded to iCloud.
iCloud backups are not scanned. Only photos uploaded to iCloud Photo Library.
> As for apps - WhatsApp, for example, saves everything to Camera Roll by default. Which then gets auto-uploaded to iCloud.
This is not true at all. The user is asked for explicit permission before apps can save photos to the camera roll, and the user must choose to use iCloud Photo Library.
I think I'm not the only one who'd rather not have my devices call the cops on me in a country where the cops are already way too violent.
Further, this is step 1 of a process they have explicitly said they are looking to expand on [1], even going as far to state it in bold font with a standout color.
So theres no telling that they wont expand it by simply scanning everything, regardless of icloud usage, or pivot it to other combat "domestic terrorism" or "gun violence epidemics" or whatever else they feel like.
Its an erosion of trust, even if not a full stop erosion, its something they intend to expand upon and wont be taking back.
[1] https://www.apple.com/child-safety/pdf/Expanded_Protections_...
Apple has already proven it will concede to China's demands.
They are building the worlds most pervasive surveillance system and when the worlds governments come knocking to use it ... they will throw their hands up and feed you the "Apple complies with all local laws etc.."
They control what goes into the on-device database that is used.
>The on-device encrypted child abuse database contains only data independently submitted by two or more child safety organizations, located in separate jurisdictions, and thus not under the control of the same government
https://www.techwarrant.com/apple-will-only-scan-abuse-image...
It's bizarre to me that people are freaking out about governments adding client side hashes but no concern that they could be doing server side checks.
I tried disabling iCloud keychain and it just flips back on. Sometimes it asks for a login first. Sometimes it shows a cancel/continue modal. Either way, it magically flips back on. No error message.
I tried backing up my device to my hard drive (with Photos already on iCloud) and it kept complaining that there wasn’t enough space. It throws error message after warning message that your content will be deleted. It created additional copies of my photos each time my phone synced.
To properly back up, I had to copy the photos directory to an external hard drive, delete the original, mark the external hard drive one as the system one and then finally free up enough space to back up. iCloud and the device backup weren’t smart enough to free up space for my backup. In fact, I first backed up all my photos to iCloud first because they said that it would free up space on my hard drive as necessary. LOL.
BTW, iCloud keychain is still on for me. Fuck Apple.
Apple are not uploading anything to government organisations, in fact they are uploading less than google, by their own(and googles admission).
You have 0 proof that they are uploading to gov orgs… right?
That wouldn't be a problem in an ideal world, but the one in which we live is far from even resembling one. Mining data is already a huge business, and governments everywhere would love tools to use to get advantage over people they don't like. There's huge motivation and demand for those tools at all levels, and at least governments have the resources to buy them and the power to force whoever implements them to stay silent. I'm not implying that spyware tools exist in any phone, PC, smart TV, car, etc. because we can't prove they don't; that's the argument used for UFOs, witches and unicorns, no thanks, but we better think like they do because technology, resources and demand for their adoption are real, and the rest is probability.