With the backlash, I’m curious if they will follow through with plans for this. Personally I‘m not happy about it but they’re still the best option out their for private cloud storage.
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Will you leave the Apple ecosystem because of CSAM?
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I'm considering my options because I'm very uncomfortable with Apple's direction. While, for a laptop, I could go Linux, there really isn't an alternative for phones without becoming a major inconvenience. Android is just as bad and if you don't use Android then it's going to be tricky get certain critical apps to work (e.g., being able to have a video appointment with my doctor, use my phone to generate RSA codes for my work computer, etc.).
At this point, for me, it almost doesn't matter. The very fact they even seriously considered it has been enough to move me off Apple--if not completely, at least significantly. E.g.: If they back-pedal, and I choose to trust them (rather doubtful at this point), I may stick with an iPhone and iPad. HomeKit, my Apple Card, and Apple Pay will not be back. The Apple Watch is almost certainly outta here (I'm already looking into FitBit for health and fitness). There will certainly be no Macs.
They done screwed the pooch with this customer. But good.
Well-written, @CriticalThoughtDrop, the whole thing, and spot-on.
The ToS on my iPhone didn't cover iCloud, so whatever happened there was a separate thing that I could and am in the process of opting out of. Since I can't pick and choose what features are loaded and used on my phone, I'm forced to now disagree with the ToS of iOS 15, which means that I cannot update past iOS 14. So, in 3-4 year's time when my phone suddenly de-activates itself or gets bricked by some other means, my choices are to either accept having this on my device or choose an alternative.
The difference is that the whole premise of the device itself being sacred is no longer true. Sure, the CSAM detection is still tethered to iCloud at this moment in time, but that's beside the point. The Orwellian dystopia is now here. I'm just waiting until a future update brings full functionality to the device, independent of iCloud. Then how will people justify it? This is the point that we should have never gotten to, and it was brought to us first by the company preaching the highest standards of privacy.
Combine this with other happenings in the US right now. There should be a lot of people up in arms about what is happening. We are living a repeat of history under slightly different circumstances. This will not end well. First, our liberty is threatened if we opt to not receive an experimental treatment, then we get turned away from aspects of our life if we either can't or won't "show our papers", and now a do-good company has invited itself into millions of phones after years of campaigning against it. This is not the future I was promised. This was history and should have remained that way.
I was surprised to see a lot of negative reaction from ars technica readers as well.
Apple defends iPhone photo scanning, calls it an “advancement” in privacy
Discussing child-abuse detection, Federighi said Apple is still “leading on privacy.”…
arstechnica.com
Apple defends iPhone photo scanning, calls it an “advancement” in privacy
Discussing child-abuse detection, Federighi said Apple is still “leading on privacy.”…
arstechnica.com
Can't believe more than 50% of the votes are okay with the CSAM scanning 
Do people understand the importance of it and are still okay?
I'm totally not fine with it, but hey, there aren't better choices available on the market
Do people understand the importance of it and are still okay?
I'm totally not fine with it, but hey, there aren't better choices available on the market
I would prefer to see 3 options that the user could choose from:
1. No on device scanning or cloud scanning - this is available if you choose to disable iCloud photos
2. No on device scanning but use cloud based scanning - scan uploads AFTER they are uploaded to iCloud so all scanning is cloud based and no scanning is done on device. This would be an option if you enable iCloud photos and the user would understand that all photos would be scanned after they are in the cloud and no on device scanning would take place.
3. On device scanning - this is the option that is causing all the discussion and would be an option if you enable iCloud photos. User would understand that on device scanning would take place against the CSAM hashes.
If we had this, then the user would be able to choose what level of scanning/privacy they were comfortable with.
1. No on device scanning or cloud scanning - this is available if you choose to disable iCloud photos
2. No on device scanning but use cloud based scanning - scan uploads AFTER they are uploaded to iCloud so all scanning is cloud based and no scanning is done on device. This would be an option if you enable iCloud photos and the user would understand that all photos would be scanned after they are in the cloud and no on device scanning would take place.
3. On device scanning - this is the option that is causing all the discussion and would be an option if you enable iCloud photos. User would understand that on device scanning would take place against the CSAM hashes.
If we had this, then the user would be able to choose what level of scanning/privacy they were comfortable with.
As a regular ARS reader, I was not surprised.I was surprised to see a lot of negative reaction from ars technica readers as well.
Apple defends iPhone photo scanning, calls it an “advancement” in privacy
Discussing child-abuse detection, Federighi said Apple is still “leading on privacy.”…
Apple defends iPhone photo scanning, calls it an “advancement” in privacy
Discussing child-abuse detection, Federighi said Apple is still “leading on privacy.”…
ARS tends to be heavily comprised of science and engineering types, with a gradiant of Apple love to hate depending on their specific computing priorities. Given the heavy STEM background, this is not a new argument for many of them. Nor are they confused as to how this works, even if it’s not 100% their area of expertise; some actually are experts in the relevant fields. Rather, they’re shocked that anyone actually built this; it’s the forbidden fruit! That is, when it was being conceived, no one at Apple raised their hand and pointed out the decades of debate from the worlds experts about why this should never exist. The utter inability, despite the best of intentions, to ever prevent any such system, no matter how well designed or implemented, from being hijacked and abused.
I’m beside myself not because of why they built it, but rather, that as smart as they are, they never stopped to realize it just shouldn’t be done…ever. Multitudes of similar schemes have been conceptualized and proposed over the decades; all having been shown to be folly! It’s not that other tech companies couldn’t have built this, but rather that they never possessed the arrogance to try. This will take several decades to play out, but play out it will.
The pushback you’re seeing across the most tech savvy users on various forums, such as ARS, and regardless of their love or hate for Apple, should tell you all you need to know about this software.
That screeching minority is the worlds experts aghast at what is happening.
This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.
Ignore all of us IT experts, that is definitely your prerogative.
You’re wrong, and I for one will help make sure they are aware of this assault on freedom.
That's your prerogative. Good luck.
Not changing anything regarding CSAM == Never changing anything in life?
Over-generalization much? 😅
If you put a grain of sand in my filtered water, no, I won't be tempted to throw it away to go drink from a swamp. Even if there's a variety of different swamps.
Bingo. When you have to switch, switch. Don't talk. Most of it is wah wah wah bluffing.
Mods, video is figure of speech and not literal.
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Of course they are. Everything Google does revolves around forging a better profile of you (i.e. your interests) so that they can target more of their Google Ads to you. The better they profile you, the higher the chances that you click, and Google Ads gets its money every time you click.
So.............
So what?
It nullifies their invasion in your privacy?
Moreover, they don't just use file hash comparisons like Apple. Google really does scan your photos. And each single photo might be scanned multiple times if it's using AI algorithms (hint : it is assuredly what they're using).
No, they are not. No matter how many times you insist they are, they are not, and your repeated insistence they are will not make it true.
Which is better than Apple because it isn’t happening on the phone.
I’m hoping they’ll reverse it, or at the very least just scan server side. But because it’s apple, I fear their ego will keep them from making any changes.
I will not start to use Apple Pay because of this. Because I am not sure about how much I can trust them alltogether.
I was close to using it now I will not consider it anymore. Hopefully they can convince me again.
That will not work with unchanged 'spyware on my device' plans and some "better "explanation but only with with some credible U-turn.
I was close to using it now I will not consider it anymore. Hopefully they can convince me again.
That will not work with unchanged 'spyware on my device' plans and some "better "explanation but only with with some credible U-turn.
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If you’re that concerned about the whole thing, don’t use iCloud photos, backup to a pc/mac.
Android is every bit as "polished" as IOS, and in fact, in many ways it is much better. My Android phone is set up just the way I want it. Unlike you I actually use both systems, so I am not just making a claim on something I have no experience in.
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