From CNET: Apple for years has focused on adding new programs to its phones, all designed to make life easier. Its systems scan emails for new calendar appointments, and its Siri voice assistant suggests to call friends on their birthdays. But Apple's latest feature is focused on abuse.
The tech giant said in a new section of its website published Thursday that it plans to add scanning software to its iPhones, iPads, Mac computers and Apple Watches when the new iOS 15, iPad OS 15, MacOS Monterey and WatchOS 8 operating systems all launch in the fall. The new program, which Apple said is designed to "limit the spread of child sexual abuse material" is part of a new collaboration between the company and child safety experts.
Apple said it'll update Siri and search features to provide parents and children with information to help them seek support in "unsafe situations." The program will also "intervene" when users try to search for child abuse-related topics. Apple will also warn parents and children when they might be sending or receiving a sexually explicit photo using its Messages app, either by hiding the photo behind a warning that it may be "sensitive" or adding an informational pop-up.
But the most dramatic effort, Apple said, is to identify child sexual abuse materials on the devices themselves, with a new technology that'll detect these images in Apple's photos app with the help of databases provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Apple said the system is automated and is "designed with user privacy in mind," with the system performing scans on the device before images are backed up to iCloud. If the program is convinced it's identified abusive imagery, it can share those photos with representatives from Apple, who'll act from there. The Financial Times earlier reported Apple's plans.
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