the photos are only scanned just before being uploaded to iCloud. If you have CSAM on your phone, just turn off iCloud sync
Also, if you have anything that may be matched by unknowable and unverifiable matching hashes and algorithms provided by multiple nation states now or ever in the future, including but not limited to political activists, protests, anti-animal-abuse activists, climate activists, and select ethnicities, or copyright violations of any kind… switch off iCloud sync.
Until that switch gets ignored.
This cannot and will not be limited to CSAM. The matching is much more complicated than “hashes of existing images.”
Here’s a good in-depth interview on the tech and the issues.
I read it more as "if you don't like it, use another cloud storage solution"
if you don't trust the switch, then why trust any switch on iOS. Why do you trust that they're not already doing it?
why are you using an iPhone?
As there is no clear legislation, every company is implementing what they feel comfortable with.