Chhavideep Singh
Source: BBC
Apple Inc. is one of the world’s most popular consumer electronics company and as a consequence of this popularity, Apple has also become one of the largest technology companies in the world with a net worth in billions. The iPhone maker has always been an advocate of user privacy and it has been raising awareness in the past few months. One of its features that enabled user transparency on ad tracking by apps on iPhones has emerged as a major roadblock for companies like Facebook that majorly depend on targeted advertisements for revenue, not entirely but majorly! Apple disrupted this system for Facebook and other platforms that used targeted ads for users by tracking their activity online.
Having said that, this decision by Apple annoyed Facebook to the core and gained itself a ton load of customer trust and loyalty. Well, it seems like Facebook is taking revenge for Apple’s latest development.
Apple has recently confirmed a software update that will allow the company to detect images of child abuse on iPhone users’ iCloud photos. Facebook Inc.’s head of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart has shown some serious concerns about the plans.
As mentioned in a report by Engadget, Apple’s software to detect iCloud photos for child abuse pictures is referred to as the company’s own surveillance system that could easily be used by the company to scan users’ private content for anything that it wants to control, says Will Cathcart. Allegedly, the system is scanning for child abuse pictures but eventually, it will be searching our entire Photos app and iCloud backup for such content. Analysts and critics are aware of the intention with which Apple could be releasing such an update but, to be honest, this system may be exploited beyond control in many parts of the world, and could also make users vulnerable to spyware attackers in some way.
However, Apple defends itself by saying that the system will only be trained for an image database of known images shared by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and other organizations working in the same niche. The company confirms that it will not be possible for them to make it region-specific because the software would be integrated within iOS.
Some several questions and opinions must pop up in your heads right now, Apple gets it and there is still a lot of understanding to be made by Apple on this software update. But, for now, rival Facebook Inc. is making a move to ensure that Apple does not get its way this time because this software definitely has potential loopholes that can be exploited by the government and bad actors.
Follow the Twitter thread by Will Cathcart to understand Facebook’s perception about Apple’s new system.