Furthermore, was uploading (backing up) the entire contents of your phone to a server to be freely scaned and distributed (with warrant of course) server side not also a precedent?

Must have been absloutely nuts round here back in 2011 when they announced the particular slippery slope that is iCloud backup.

It set the precedent for scanning server side. Which I don’t like but there’s really no way to avoid it anyway.

Now we have clientside scanning, and actually being led by the [note the scare quotes] “pro-privacy” two ton gorilla. It’s a whole different ballgame.

It was but it was one we were not in a position to resist at the time. Surrendered to almighty convenience.

But here appears to be beyond the pale such that people are saying "this far, no farther!"