An Open Letter Against Apple's Privacy-Invasive Content Scanning Technology

Note that:

1) its only scanned on upload to iCloud, so if you don't upload then its not scanned

2) (per another article, https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/05/apple-icloud-photos-scanni...): Most cloud services — Dropbox, Google, and Microsoft to name a few — already scan user files for content that might violate their terms of service or be potentially illegal, like CSAM.

So you really can't opt out unless you avoid all cloud photos

It’s astounding how many very smart people are getting this wrong.

Perhaps I missed it, but does anywhere on this letter mention that that both of these features are optional?

CSAM depends on using iCloud Photos. Don’t rent someone else’s computer if you don’t want them to decide what you can put on it.

Content filter for iMessages is for kids accounts only, and can be turned off. Or, even better: skip iMessages for Signal.

The v4 updated the screen which burned more power. I remember telling them my real life results and them proceeding to not update their product marketing page while admitting it was based on the v3. I feel like they were already stretching it to begin with with v3 but you would know.

I also got the fastest SSD they had in checkout. Which I think contributed to the booting race condition. I never got a link to an upstream ticket so I do not know if it is fixed.

When I emailed them they said they do not have a laptop in that configuration to test, haha.

This letter assumes Apple is too stupid or has overlooked the risks of the tool they've built. I guarantee this isn't the case.

We have to assume given the pressure Apple has been under to build a surveillance tool like this that any "abuse cases" such as identifying outlawed LGBTQ content is in fact exactly what this tool was built for.

Apple have already proven their willingness to bend the knee to the CCP with actions such as App Store removals. I almost can't blame Apple for this because in all likelihood if Apple refuses to cooperate they will eventually lose market access. Couple this with the fact today Apple is seeing increasing pressure from western governments to surveil and censor "hate speech" and "misinformation" they've probably reluctantly accepted that sooner or later they will have no choice but to spy on their users.

What I'm trying to say is that Apple isn't the problem here. My guess is Apple's engineers are smart enough to know this technology can and likely will be abused. They're also probably not that interested in spying on their customers as a private company in the business of convincing people to buy their communication devices. Apple did this because governments have been demanding this. And in recent years these demands have not only been coming from the CCP and other authoritarian regimes, but also from governments in their primary markets in the West.

The only way we can fight this is by demanding our politicians respect our right to privacy and fight for technologies like e2e encryption on all of our devices.

I don't want to be overly negative, but realistically this isn't going to happen. Most people who use Apple's devices don't understand encryption or the risks content scanning technology present. And even if they did, no one is going to vote for a representative because of their stance on encryption technology. It seems almost inevitable that the luxury of private communication for all will eventually be a thing of the past.

I'm just glad I know how to secure my own devices.

Probably one of those nice Clevo laptops, more bang for my buck with that (https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2020/05/review-clevo-n151cu-lafite-...)

I've weaned myself off big tech services now (except I still use Chrome, but I used that un-synced - could just change to Chromium).

I just want something capable, with a nice keyboard running an OS that doesn't constantly change things underneath me, is stable, and secure.

I agree about the ecosystem working well together, but for me, the ends don't justify the means anymore.