At the beginning of January this year, Apple's data protection officer Jane Horvath confirmed that iCloud photos are being checked. According to this, they are checked in the iCloud for illegal data such as child abuse. Now a document reveals Apple's approach to emails.
When it became known that Apple was conducting a preliminary check of iCloud photos in order to combat child abuse, this sparked a heated debate. While many users supported Apple's approach, some were very concerned. But Apple also seems to be intercepting emails, as has now been revealed by a search warrant. According to this, email traffic is also automatically scanned for illegal images and videos. If a match is found, the content is blocked and manually checked by an Apple employee and forwarded to the relevant US authority. This is according to the Forbes published search warrant:
When we intercept the email with suspicious images, they do not go to the intended recipient. This person . . . . sent eight emails that we intercepted. [Seven] of those emails contained 12 images. All seven emails and images were the same, as was the recipient's email address. The other email contained 4 images that were different from the 12 previously mentioned. The intended recipient was the same," Apple employees said in the comments. My guess is that he sent these images to himself and when they were not delivered, he sent them repeatedly. Either that, or he received a message from the recipient that they were not delivered.
How the automatic comparison works
Apple is able to perform such email scans because emails are usually only encrypted during transmission, not on the servers. But how exactly does it work? Apple uses an automated system to scan iCloud photos - the company has already confirmed this. Such a tool can also be used for emails. A particularly popular system is PhotoDNA. However, it is not known whether Apple actually uses this service - but let's take it as an example. PhotoDNA creates a so-called hash from images and compares the hash with a connected database that contains known child pornography. If a hash is recognized - i.e. a hit is achieved - the content is marked and submitted for manual review.
What about iMessage?
While Apple has already confirmed that it checks iCloud photos, the topic of emails has not yet been mentioned. But what about iMessage? Observers are currently asking whether Apple has found a way to check content in iMessage, as the service is known to be end-to-end encrypted. Some think it is possible - but for now it remains an Apple secret. (Photo by Fab.1 / Bigstockphoto)
