He has no business talking about privacy with CSAM on the horizon.
It isn’t the CSAM itself, it is whatever else the algorithm can be used for. Once it’s built, it can be adapted. Don’t build it in the first place, and Apple can’t be coerced.
He has no business talking about privacy with CSAM on the horizon.
It isn’t the CSAM itself, it is whatever else the algorithm can be used for. Once it’s built, it can be adapted. Don’t build it in the first place, and Apple can’t be coerced.
Hash matching isn’t new technology. Other companies have been using this kind of thing for a decade or longer. What makes Apple the outlier here? Why not fear a government could demand they upload every user’s Spotlight index or all of the meta data from your Photos Library? Why build anything if it just leads to coercion?
This ‘privacy invasion’ by Apple which you effectively describe as petty, is the equivalent of a door manufacturer implementing some technology into the front door you purchased for your house so they can easily send in a robot to scan your personal belongings for any child sex imagery.
No. A much better analogy is that iCloud is like a storage locker. Rather than rummaging through the entire contents of your locker after you've already placed things in it, Apple is checking to see if individual items you place in it are illegal as you add items to it. Apple is doing the check at the door rather than inside of the locker so that they don't have to access whatever is already sitting in your locker. And the check Apple does is an automated test so that no Apple employee has access to see the item you are placing in the locker unless your locker fails over 30 or so tests for illegal material. Only then can an Apple employee verify that the matching items are in fact illegal material. And only items that are verified to be illegal are forwarded to authorities. This is all done at expense by Apple to preserve your privacy.
This is a staggering statement considering that Apple just lost a lot of trust among its own customers who found out last week that not only was their data on iCloud not encrypted, Apple would actually go out of its way to expose the data to government searches without anyone's permission. This kind of disconnect from reality can only happen if Apple's executives live in some kind of information bubble. Did none of them read the news for the past week? Tim must have some kind of clue that their users are not happy. Is this statement some kind of deflection? "If you think we are bad, look at what our competitors do!" It's not going to fly. Franky I am surprised that Apple has not already walked back this decision while seeking more opinions from experts outside the company.
At the very least, when you sell people out, be honest about it.
Apple aren't selling out. There is no money being exchanged for their child abuses initiatives. That's the difference between the privacy invasions of Google and Facebook and the things that Apple are doing, Apple do not profit, they are not profiling you, they are not using your data in any way that advantages themselves. The "privacy invasions" of Apple amount to checking that you aren't committing a heinous crime, and when a piece of on-device code that exists solely for that purpose determines that you aren't, you go on your way, totally unaffected.
I wonder how many of those complaining about this privacy invasiveness are fully in favour of stop and frisk policies. Now that's invasiveness.
at least you recognize that Apple is invading your privacy.
You are fine with that so long as the premise is “good.”
the problem is when things get abused.
Actually two problems.
1. Apple IS invading your privacy, regardless of how good it may seem.
2. The infrastructure that is built WILL be abused and used for other things.
And selling out isn’t just a phrase for monetary gain. In this case it amounts to caving in to pressure. I have no guarantees that pressure isn’t coming from a current government administration that has zero qualms lying flat out and implementing horrid policy.
—— SELLOUT Informal. a person who betrays a cause, organization, or the like; traitor. ... a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement. ——
According to Tim Cook. "At Apple, when we make something, we make sure that we spend an enormous amount of time thinking carefully about how it will be used."
If this was truly the case Tim, then why on earth would you introduce a ‘back door’ (ie CSAM screener) into your iPhones that can be exploited by malevolent governments? Of course we should protect children, but this is not the way to do it.
According to Tim Cook. "At Apple, when we make something, we make sure that we spend an enormous amount of time thinking carefully about how it will be used."
If this was truly the case Tim, then why on earth would you introduce a ‘back door’ (ie CSAM screener) into your iPhones that can be exploited by malevolent governments? Of course we should protect children, but this is not the way to do it.
Because once the government officials get ahold of the idea that Apple is the number one platform containing child porn no amount of privacy stance posturing will prevent legislative back doors.
Start with yourself Tim. You destroyed Apple’s privacy promiss with just one single announcement. I still doubt if you get it what you did. The right thing to do is to withdraw this feature and let us own our data on any Apple device.
At the very least, when you sell people out, be honest about it.
Apple aren't selling out. There is no money being exchanged for their child abuses initiatives. That's the difference between the privacy invasions of Google and Facebook and the things that Apple are doing, Apple do not profit, they are not profiling you, they are not using your data in any way that advantages themselves. The "privacy invasions" of Apple amount to checking that you aren't committing a heinous crime, and when a piece of on-device code that exists solely for that purpose determines that you aren't, you go on your way, totally unaffected.
I wonder how many of those complaining about this privacy invasiveness are fully in favour of stop and frisk policies. Now that's invasiveness.
at least you recognize that Apple is invading your privacy.
You are fine with that so long as the premise is “good.”
the problem is when things get abused.
Actually two problems.
1. Apple IS invading your privacy, regardless of how good it may seem.
2. The infrastructure that is built WILL be abused and used for other things.
And selling out isn’t just a phrase for monetary gain. In this case it amounts to caving in to pressure. I have no guarantees that pressure isn’t coming from a current government administration that has zero qualms lying flat out and implementing horrid policy.
—— SELLOUT Informal. a person who betrays a cause, organization, or the like; traitor. ... a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement. ——
As I posted before, there are better ways.
I don't consider that Apple is invading my privacy. Code that checks that my photos aren't known child abuse and is otherwise benign is not an invasion.
I don't see any evidence that the "infrastructure" as you describe it WILL be abused. It's complete conjecture.
And I disagree with what you've said about the term selling out, and I think both the dictionary and common use support me. Not that it matters particularly, though it does point to something - given all off the certainty around the issues that you have, why do you think Apple is doing this and is so convinced it is the right course? In your parlance, what are they selling out for?
This is a staggering statement considering that Apple just lost a lot of trust among its own customers who found out last week that not only was their data on iCloud not encrypted, Apple would actually go out of its way to expose the data to government searches without anyone's permission. This kind of disconnect from reality can only happen if Apple's executives live in some kind of information bubble. Did none of them read the news for the past week? Tim must have some kind of clue that their users are not happy. Is this statement some kind of deflection? "If you think we are bad, look at what our competitors do!" It's not going to fly. Franky I am surprised that Apple has not already walked back this decision while seeking more opinions from experts outside the company.
They’ve always given up data when compelled to do so by the courts. Nobody is exposing data to anyone unless it’s verified CP, which is literally how everyone has been handling this kind of issue elsewhere, so really not seeing the problem here.
It has always been the case that if you keep some of your data on 'another man's computer' (eg Dropbox, iCloud, Google... or even an internet-connected device) you will not have for-sure privacy.
Only when your sensitive data is on your own disconnect-able storage device, away from the reach of the internet, will it perhaps be safe (until a loved-one starts checking your files when you are away...)
Well Tim, then you know what to do. Abandon the utterly stupid idea of invading every single iPhone out there. It's like declaring every user is guilty of spreading child porn unless the Apple-jury finds otherwise. It's unlawfull and a breach of every human rights-treaty. I'm a longtime shareholder but I sincerely hope the EU will ban every Apple-product with this feature, as it should. I'm shocked and appaled 'my' Apple (been a fan for 34 years) has been working actively on an ludicrous feature like this.
It is a cost saving feature at the end of the day, to many search warrants so a geek came up with this stupid idea….
It is simple no search warrant no can do no fishing trips, I hope Apple gets hell without end for this stupidity. This is right up their with the massive debt, stock buybacks backs, and the endless American search for slave non union share cropper labor (get your git on).
If someone is doing wrong let the government get a search warrant, then comply with the law. With the asshole countries at some point you have to pull up stakes and leave Russia, China, Turkey etc….It is coming to a head within the next 10 years probably sooner.
That is why making your products within the USA, and Europe is important long term irregardless of cost. (Next CEO of Apple will be faced with that decision the current one appears to be blind).
Comments
the problem is when things get abused.
SELLOUT
Informal. a person who betrays a cause, organization, or the like; traitor. ... a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement.
——
I don't see any evidence that the "infrastructure" as you describe it WILL be abused. It's complete conjecture.
And I disagree with what you've said about the term selling out, and I think both the dictionary and common use support me. Not that it matters particularly, though it does point to something - given all off the certainty around the issues that you have, why do you think Apple is doing this and is so convinced it is the right course? In your parlance, what are they selling out for?
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202303
They’ve always given up data when compelled to do so by the courts. Nobody is exposing data to anyone unless it’s verified CP, which is literally how everyone has been handling this kind of issue elsewhere, so really not seeing the problem here.
Only when your sensitive data is on your own disconnect-able storage device, away from the reach of the internet, will it perhaps be safe (until a loved-one starts checking your files when you are away...)
It is simple no search warrant no can do no fishing trips, I hope Apple gets hell without end for this stupidity. This is right up their with the massive debt, stock buybacks backs, and the endless American search for slave non union share cropper labor (get your git on).
If someone is doing wrong let the government get a search warrant, then comply with the law. With the asshole countries at some point you have to pull up stakes and leave Russia, China, Turkey etc….It is coming to a head within the next 10 years probably sooner.
That is why making your products within the USA, and Europe is important long term irregardless of cost. (Next CEO of Apple will be faced with that decision the current one appears to be blind).