[michaelmrose]

The original proposal was to use a visual hash designed to identify known bad CSAM images even if cropped or otherwise edited. Your computer would scan all your stuff for these images and report you to apple who would report you to the cops. This presented a number of issues.

Accidental false positives could lead to horrific outcomes up to and including oh look bob got shot by the cops for resisting.

It was possible to produce apparently matching innocuous images and then poison people's machines with them.Oops did you click on that picture of a tree have fun with the cops. Like an advanced form of swatting.

Although inspired by a desire to find CSAM Apple could be forced to scan for ANYTHING by repressive regimes including America and China.

Although initially targeting images client side scanning of messages is a pretty obvious next step. Again obvious good motivation exists and is completely justifiable who doesn't want to stop the next mass shooting or terrorist attack... and then we can basically use it to find people critical of the regime. Do remember we are presently prosecuting a political figure for a picture of sea shells and a guy in texas is rotting in prison for distributing political literature.

[soundnote]

> Apple could be forced to scan for ANYTHING by repressive regimes including America and China.

Including Europe. Europe is ruled by people who think 1984 was an instruction manual.

[psd1]

Europe is a fractal mix of polities ruled by a constant flux of elected representatives, and consequently exhibits political behaviour from a wide range of constituencies. Each citizen agrees, presumably, with some policies and disagrees with others, then they vote as best as they are able - which is not very, since every large electorate in the world falls short of adequate political competence. Some of those people vote for authoritarians, which i consider a shame but which is also true in your closest democratic nation.

European citizen surveillance is something i oppose, but at least it's balanced by a robust bill of human rights. America's surveillance state does not have that balance, because America wrote a bill of rights but didn't bother with the follow-through.

Kindly don't use my continent as a punching bag, thanks.