Despite Apple’s claims that the photo scanning happens on the device, new secuirty features have raised privacy concerns among security researchers.
Apple yesterday announced new child-safety features coming to iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey. The new features allow Apple to scan photos in the iCloud Library and iMessages for sensitive content and potential child abuse. Despite Apple’s claims that all the photo-scanning happens on the device, the feature has raised privacy concerns among quite a few security researchers worldwide. But what is iCloud photo scanning? In short, Apple will now be able to scan photos on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac before they’re uploaded to iCloud. Before the upload begins, the operating system will check the photos for potential Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). Apple says the scanning happens on the device and through a new technique called NeuralHash. If anything phishy is found, Apple ‘may’ report the case to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
