The Idea Was Met With Heavy Backlash
Privacy and security researchers were quick to voice their opposition to the proposal, with some pointing out that the screening capability may be used to look for other material in the future. The widespread agreement was that the technology could rapidly become a gateway for law enforcement. Some said that the mere presence of such scanning features in iOS constituted a dangerous path toward greater monitoring abuses. Even while Apple first pushed back against these complaints, the corporation eventually caved and, shortly after announcing the new feature, declared it would “defer” its adoption till a later point in time.
As things stand, it seems like that day will never arrive. Along with a slew of new iCloud privacy improvements, the firm said Wednesday that it would not be using on-device scanning. Apple announced its new direction in a message to Wired:
According To Apple
All of Apple’s intentions seemed to be in good faith. The internet spread of CSAM is a serious issue that, according to specialists, has worsened in recent years. The fact that someone tried to address the issue shows they cared. However, the core technology Apple recommended wasn’t the ideal tool for the task, given the monitoring risks it created.
