techconc

gatorguy said:

MplsP said:

How many of the people screaming about CSAM have Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and google apps on their devices and an Amazon or google smart speaker in their home?

Implying Apple is not any worse than "everyone else" is not a ringing endorsement. 

With comments like this, it's clear that people still don't understand the difference.  There is no cloud storage company that wants CSAM material on their service.  Period.  You can either scan for it locally, on device... in a private way, or you can wait until the files are uploaded and scanned in a less private way.  Your choice.  

I wouldn't be surprised if this step is a prerequisite for Apple going full end-to-end encryption with photos next.  Once they have something like this in place, they can justify to authorities how they know they're not holding CSAM material without invading user privacy in the process. 

I think it's rather naive to think that Apple isn't going to have to address this with regard to ensuring they don't have CSAM material on their cloud services.  You can either do it your way that preserves privacy the best you can or you have laws written to have it done their way which will most certainly be more invasive.  If you wait for the laws to come, you lose your choice on how to implement it. 

Apple is trying desperately to remove some of the standing "spiteful" policies in a last ditch attempt to avoid regulation. It's not going to work. I've supported Apple's monopoly on the App Store due to the privacy and security it provided. Sadly, Apple has taken advantage of that position and has abused their authority with rather spiteful policies like not allowing apps like Netflix to link to their own subscription web page, etc. Apple is also very arbitrary in terms of content restriction and has even acted in politically partisan ways at times. At this point, I think change is needed and Apple has done this to themselves.

DAalseth said:

Well, Supply Chain is TC’s area of expertise. 

Yes, that’s a big part of it.  The other is that Apple is one of the few companies with the $ Billions to throw around for capital in advance and also willing to assume the risk associated with it.

omasou said:

May as well plan to move off the grid as these technologies will become more and more ubiquitous.

They are already more ubiquitous than people realize.  Examples...

https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/5/5970141/how-google-scans-your-gmail-for-child-porn
https://blog.chron.com/techblog/2014/08/google-microsoft-others-scan-your-data-looking-for-child-porn/
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2018/12/07/lauderdale-man-child-porn-google-photos/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/07/13/yes-facebook-scans-peoples-private-conversations-looking-for-sexual-predators-and-child-porn/?sh=6a103211595a

Everyone else is already doing this.  Apple is just now getting onboard for obvious reasons.

omasou said:

It is amazing the amount of ignorance about how this works and peoples refusal to read about how it works before posting.

https://www.apple.com/child-safety/pdf/CSAM_Detection_Technical_Summary.pdf

Exactly!

maestro64 said:

As I said before on this topic, comparing a Hash from a known image to an Hash of another image only works if both images are exactly the same. If the image that is being compared is modified in the least bit the Hash is no longer the same. 

Nope.  The algorithms used are designed to recognize the same picture, regardless if it has been resized, rotated, even slightly cropped, etc.

bbh said:
How about if I'm the arbiter of whether or not that "cute" photo of your child taking a bath is "kiddy porn" ?

That's not how it works.  The arbiter of "kiddy porn" is based on a collection of existing photos currently in circulation and being distributed as such.  The photo you take of your child taking a bath is not part of that collection. 

bbh said:

APPLE is trashing years and years of reputation with this. BAD IDEA.

Perhaps.  Mostly because of the ignorance, misinformation and overall false assumptions associated with it.  I would agree that it's not necessary.  I would also agree that it's probably the responsible thing to do.  Again, other services are already doing this today.  This is really nothing new.