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idmean

macrumors regular
Feb 27, 2015
151
801
Regarding iCloud. We have to trust Apple's word the NeuralHash is only activated when logged into iCloud, but since it's happening On-device, it may be running at all times.. Even if it's not, since the system is already in place, it can probably be activated by means of a simple software update..
Let me say it like it is: Apple can install and activate whatever system they want with every software update.
 

Kung gu

Suspended
Oct 20, 2018
1,379
2,434
Let me say it like it is: Apple can install and activate whatever system they want with every software update.
So can Google, so can Microsoft, so can Amazon and so can Facebook on their platforms these companies can install whatever they want on their platforms.

This is not restricted just to Apple platforms.
 

ForkHandles

macrumors 6502a
Jun 8, 2012
551
1,401
I see what you mean, but also the converse poses a problem to Apple. Yes, Apple can say that this is a shot across the pedophiles' proverbial bow, but the backlash is also a shot across Apple's bow, that the pedophiles can not only call on, but can rely on. Should Apple revisit this and do it better (which today's news sounds like they are), those pedophiles can easily try to draw the ire of Apple's base and get them pissed off at Apple again all over this, making them reconsider and back down again. Wash/rinse/repeat until Apple gets it right with their base.

So this could go back and forth for who knows how long.

BL.
I think of pedophiles as sad broken men who sit in dark rooms masturbating over the power they have in abusing defenceless, young, vulnerable children, not as a collective who are striving to bring down a tech company.

In some strange way the thought of my beautiful pictures of my children sitting on the same hard drive sector as a CSAM image makes me feel angry.
 
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Mr Screech

macrumors 6502
Mar 2, 2018
260
264
It is?!?! <looks at Linux desktop upon which he's typing this, then over at his Linux laptop...> Huh.

Take a look at how much of a percentage use linux as a server os, 90%+.
Take a look at how much of a percentage use linux as a desktop, <%5.
So yes, linux is a server os, with some hobbyists and programmers who are the 5%.

Linux isn't used in 95% of business environments.
In business environments you need to be able to work in teams and share file formats between them. And linux is an absolute joke concerning that, unless the only thing you do is browse and type text.
 
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bobcomer

macrumors 601
May 18, 2015
4,949
3,699
I see what you mean, but also the converse poses a problem to Apple. Yes, Apple can say that this is a shot across the pedophiles' proverbial bow, but the backlash is also a shot across Apple's bow, that the pedophiles can not only call on, but can rely on. Should Apple revisit this and do it better (which today's news sounds like they are), those pedophiles can easily try to draw the ire of Apple's base and get them pissed off at Apple again all over this, making them reconsider and back down again. Wash/rinse/repeat until Apple gets it right with their base.

So this could go back and forth for who knows how long.

BL.
You're forgetting something, Apple has already ticked off people enough for them to not buy Apple products and they will eventually wander away because the Apple universe doesn't matter to them anymore. Apple's got to cancel this with big fanfare and then wait a long time to get what they've lost back.
 

jseymour

macrumors 6502
Oct 11, 2018
414
1,040
S.E. Michigan, USA
wow, you seem to be misinformed. The reporting only happens on iCloud not on your device.
No, you are the one who's misinformed. The fact that the CSAM scanner is designed to run on end-users' devices is the objection.

Take a look at how much of a percentage use linux as a server os, 90%+.
Take a look at how much of a percentage use linux as a desktop, <%5.
So yes, linux is a server os, with some hobbyists and programmers who are the 5%.
Referring to Linux as "a server OS" implies it's suitable only for server use. That is clearly false, as demonstrated by the many people who use it on desktops and laptops. Calling Linux "a server OS" is as inaccurate as calling MS-Windows "a desktop OS" because it's used more on desktops and laptops than in servers.

Linux isn't used in 95% of business environments.
That will come as news to my co-workers that used it in a business environment.

In business environments you need to be able to work in teams and share file formats between them. And linux is an absolute joke concerning that, ...
Again: That will come as a surprise to my co-workers that used it in a business environment. Including me, who used to use it in a business environment.
 

GrumpyCoder

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2016
2,126
2,706
I think you’re conflating the two separate systems. But if not, why don’t you cite the relevant part of the document, then?
Sure:
NeuralHash is a perceptual hashing function that maps images to numbers. Perceptual hashing bases this number on features of the image instead of the precise values of pixels in the image. The system computes these hashes by using an embedding network to produce image descriptors and then converting those descriptors to integers using a Hyperplane LSH (Locality Sensitivity Hashing) process. This process ensures that different images produce different hashes.
The embedding network represents images as real-valued vectors and ensures that perceptually and semantically similar images have close descriptors in the sense of angular distance or cosine similarity. Perceptually and semantically different images have descriptors farther apart, which results in larger angular distances. The Hyperplane LSH process then converts descriptors to unique hash values as integers.
For all images processed by the above system, regardless of resolution and quality, each image must have a unique hash for the content of the image. This hash must be significantly smaller than the image to be sufficiently efficient when stored on disk or sent over the network.
The main purpose of the hash is to ensure that identical and visually similar images result in the same hash, and images that are different from one another result in different hashes. For example, an image that has been slightly cropped or resized should be considered identical to its original and have the same hash.
The system generates NeuralHash in two steps. First, an image is passed into a convolutional neural network to generate an N-dimensional, floating-point descriptor. Second, the descriptor is passed through a hashing scheme to convert the N floating-point numbers to M bits. Here, M is much smaller than the number of bits needed to represent the N floating-point numbers. NeuralHash achieves this level of compression and preserves sufficient information about the image so that matches and lookups on image sets are still successful, and the compression meets the storage and transmission requirements.
The neural network that generates the descriptor is trained through a self-supervised training scheme. Images are perturbed with transformations that keep them perceptually identical to the original, creating an original/perturbed pair. The neural network is taught to generate descriptors that are close to one another for the original/perturbed pair. Similarly, the network is also taught to generate descriptors that are farther away from one another for an original/distractor pair. A distractor is any image that is not considered identical to the original. Descriptors are considered to be close to one another if the cosine of the angle between descriptors is close to 1. The trained network’s output is an N-dimensional, floating-point descriptor. These N floating-point numbers are hashed using LSH, resulting in M bits. The M-bit LSH encodes a single bit for each of M hyperplanes, based on whether the descriptor is to the left or the right of the hyperplane. These M bits constitute the NeuralHash for the image.

The generation of the descriptors is based on a CNN, which is part of deep learning, which is a subset of machine learning, which is a subset of artificial intelligence. That’s how Apple is generating hashes on device and also how NCMEC is generating the hashes used for matching, as Apple has no access to the original known images. They are using the same algorithm from Apple, otherwise no valid matches could be made.
 

bradl

macrumors 603
Jun 16, 2008
5,952
17,447
Take a look at how much of a percentage use linux as a server os, 90%+.
Take a look at how much of a percentage use linux as a desktop, <%5.
So yes, linux is a server os, with some hobbyists and programmers who are the 5%.

Linux isn't used in 95% of business environments.
In business environments you need to be able to work in teams and share file formats between them. And linux is an absolute joke concerning that, unless the only thing you do is browse and type text.

You are still applying a blanket assumption on what Linux does and where it is used. That 95% of business environments? I’m a Linux sysadmin, who has worked in both private sector and government jobs. I can guarantee you that more than that 95% use Linux in their business environment. Because you don’t see it at the desktop level does not mean it isn’t used.

the perspective being presented here is horribly skewed because of what you are seeing, and not what lies under. In this case, seeing isn’t believing.

BL.
 
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usagora

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2017
4,869
4,456
Until Apple gives me a reason not to trust them, then I have no reason not to. First of all, I don't use iCloud for anything other than Contacts, Messages, Calendar, Reminders, and Notes, so this change doesn't even affect me. But even if I did use iCloud for photos, I would have absolutely no problem with CSAM scanning going on. As Apple has clearly explained, they won't even see any of that scanning data unless you upload 30+ illegal images to their servers, and then all they see is the info on those images. So unless you're involved in this illegal activity, Apple won't know anything more about you post macOS12/iOS15 than they did before. And has also been explained before, once you put anything on someone else's server (iCloud, OneDrive, etc.), you are sacrificing your privacy to the company that owns those servers. This has always been the case.

The only people who are getting upset are those who don't understand how this works or are giving into irrational paranoia, fueled by them believing everything they read from fear-mongering bloggers, etc.
 

GrumpyCoder

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2016
2,126
2,706
The only people who are getting upset are those who don't understand how this works or are giving into irrational paranoia, fueled by them believing everything they read from fear-mongering bloggers, etc.
Doubtful, many researchers in this or similar fields including those with PhDs and/or professorships who do independent research and have also consulted for authorities and governments (including myself), see this very critical. A former colleague, who is a network and security specialist often tasked with securing forensic digital evidence in CSAM cases has the same opinion and he is much closer to this crap than most.

The argument “you don’t understand it” often comes from those that are not experts in the field, trying to disqualify other opinions. I get this a lot from my students “I got it right, I deserve a better grade, you just didn’t understand what I wrote”.
 

usagora

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2017
4,869
4,456
Doubtful, many researchers in this or similar fields including those with PhDs and/or professorships who do independent research and have also consulted for authorities and governments (including myself), see this very critical. A former colleague, who is a network and security specialist often tasked with securing forensic digital evidence in CSAM cases has the same opinion and he is much closer to this crap than most.

And you don't think Apple employs or contracts knowledgeable people in the field to implement this technology and advise them on it? smh... You do realize "experts" often disagree, right? Also notice I said "getting upset" not simply "have some concerns." There's a difference. One is irrational paranoia, the other is reasonable.

The argument “you don’t understand it” often comes from those that are not experts in the field, trying to disqualify other opinions. I get this a lot from my students “I got it right, I deserve a better grade, you just didn’t understand what I wrote”.

Nope. It's a simple fact that many here don't understand it. For instance, many people are still under the impression that the scan is taking place even if they don't have iCloud for photos enabled. Others think that Apple is actively looking at your phone because they hear the word "scan" and get these mental images of lists of files being spit out to prying eyes, etc.
 

GrumpyCoder

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2016
2,126
2,706
And you don't think Apple employs or contracts knowledgeable people in the field to implement this technology and advise them on it?
Apples concern is simple, get the technology out to the market. No one is paid to have concerns over this. Apple also implemented a way for certain processes to bypass the user network stack, so users couldn't block apps from talking back to Apple, leave alone for external firewalls. People had the same doubts about the technology, yet Apple did it. They backpaddled after it became public and removed Apps from the whitelist, but it's still there but inactive at the moment.

In a similar way, government agencies are paid to spy on their own citizens and military personal is paid to bomb targets with collateral damage (civilians). Anyone who has concerns over this and works for Apple has the wrong job. But maybe they need the job, so they should up and just do it. The only ones who are credible on this are independent as it is often the case.
 

usagora

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2017
4,869
4,456
Apples concern is simple, get the technology out to the market. No one is paid to have concerns over this.

BS. Aside from the fact that they designed this system so carefully as to make it as private as possible, did you not see the article on this site today about them delaying the deployment of this technology to be sure they get it right, amid concerns people have expressed?
 

GrumpyCoder

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2016
2,126
2,706
BS. Aside from the fact that they designed this system so carefully as to make it as private as possible, did you not see the article on this site today about them delaying the deployment of this technology to be sure they get it right, amid concerns people have expressed?
That's what's called damage control. People have spoken up and Apple listen (to financial loss). Every company would do it this way. Out of our local research groups and the people I've spoken to, not a single person is willing to put more money into Apple at this point, except for buying "one of each" for research purposes (for various reasons). That's of course only a handful of research institutes locally, but a 6-7 figure sales for Apple they're missing out on every year. We'll see what happens, once this is out.
You can't credibly assert this with any certainty unless you have insider knowledge.
So yes. And no, I'm not working at Apple. I have worked with Apple in the late PPC / early Intel days and still know a few people there from visits and projects. Not everyone is happy about this and that's not unusual, in any company. The same can be said for Microsoft, Google and Facebook.
 

usagora

macrumors 601
Nov 17, 2017
4,869
4,456
That's what's called damage control. People have spoken up and Apple listen (to financial loss).

When companies are as big as Apple, someone's always upset at something they're doing. But in any case, by your own admission here, people ARE paid to be concerned about it, which you said they weren't. If they weren't concerned, they'd just bulldoze over concerns and implement the technology without delay.

It seems no matter what Apple does here, you have a negative spin on it. Pretty much a "damned if they do; damned if they don't" philosophy.
 

GrumpyCoder

macrumors 68020
Nov 15, 2016
2,126
2,706
Sorry, but it can't be both. You either have certain knowledge Apple did not solicit input as to whether there should be concerns related to their proposed solution, or you do not.
So yes, I have knowledge about it from people working at Apple.
And no, I personally am not an Apple employee (I teach and research at a university), but I've been told so by people working at Apple.

If that qualifies as "insider knowledge" is up to you.
 
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primarycolors

macrumors 6502
Oct 17, 2015
328
527
CA
Does the MacOS CSAM scan have any distinct differences/concerns compared to the iOS implementation, or is it still limited to iCloud Photo Library? Some people are making it sound like they're going to be scanning entire hard drives but I can't find any evidence of that (that also sounds like it'd take up exponentially more system resources).
 

WriteNow

macrumors 6502
Aug 27, 2021
383
397
As for Linux being "only" a server OS, and not used in business...

As others point out, Linux can be used on the desktop. I do it. And if standards for business desktop use are what matters, one would probably choose Windows over any other OS.

Apple is more accepted now, of course--but I can easily recall when the Mac was considered a toy, or suitable only for certain limited uses (like graphics), etc.

Hmmm...when I hear something like "no one uses Linux" I'm reminded of when I heard those words applied to the Mac!

Admittedly, Linux can be limiting, due to available software. But I'm getting by fine, and so do many others. And if my particular needs change, well, I can adapt. As things stand now, I can't see going back to Apple as my one and only computer--but I could see having a second Mac system in daily use for production work that I can't do or can't do conveniently on Linux.
 
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