All US iPhone photos will be scanned for evidence of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) to protect children and to help stop the spread of CSAM online.
How?
Apple’s new versions of iOS and iPadOS, due to be released later this year, will include a new system designed to detect CSAM. Cryptographic technology called private set intersection compares uploaded photos against a database of known CSAM image hashes provided by the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and other child safety organisations. Apple says that the system’s threshold is set to provide “an extremely high level of accuracy” which should ensure that there is less than a one in one trillion chance per year of incorrectly flagging a given account.
The system means that an automatic on-device matching process is performed on any photo before it enters iCloud photos storage and alerts authorities if matches are found.
Manual Review
Apple says that only when a certain threshold in the safety vouchers is exceeded (i.e. the automated system is sure of a match) can a photo be manually reviewed by Apple.
What if something is found?
If Apple’s system confirms that there is a match (i.e. the photo contains evidence of CSAM), Apple says that it will disable the user’s account and send a report to NCMEC.
What If There’s A Mistake?
Apple says that if a user feels that their account has been incorrectly flagged, they can file an appeal to have their account reinstated.
Security / Privacy Concerns
The announcement of the new system has been criticised from the point of view that allowing a system to scan users’ private photos for any prohibited material has general privacy implications and could be paving the way for government or other surveillance.
Apple Says…
That the system has “significant privacy benefits over existing techniques since Apple only learns about users’ photos if they have a collection of known CSAM in their iCloud Photos account. Even in these cases, Apple only learns about images that match known CSAM.”
Apple’s own documentation is available here.
What Does This Mean For You?
Apple has gone to great lengths to publicise the system’s accuracy and appears to go as far as it can to protect privacy. Despite Apple’s good intentions, there are fears that agencies, authorities and governments could misuse the system, gaining a ‘back-door’ into surveillance of the wider population. Using this new system, Apple can ensure that its file storage areas don’t contain illegal material therefore helping to keep its own house in order legally, professionally, ethically, and morally.
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