DrPixie 🌂Aug 8, 2021
Eric Phelps

Imagine a government agency ordered Apple to include hashes of all documents they wanted to track into that kiddie porn database. Suddenly the government knows who's got that antivax meme JPG. Or tax protest DOC. Or an environmental report PDF.

And it's just hashes! Apple won't know what they're tracking, so they can't say "no".

Now tell me you honestly believe no government *ever* will take advantage of this invisible monitoring power.

Aug 7, 2021 at 8:20pmWeb
Show threadAlexander BochmannAug 7, 2021

@ericphelps To be fair, a dedicated government with the right kind of access to certain companies already would have that kind of capability trough malware monitoring / antivirus software that is on mostly every system today. As far as I know, Windows Defender will upload hashes of new files it finds when "Cloud-delivered protection" is on. As will Google Play Protect with the default settings.

The difference is maybe that Apple is specifically not talking about malware here.

Show threadStephen Brooks 🦆Aug 8, 2021
@galaxis @ericphelps Interesting, I just went through the setting and turned those off!
Show threadBob MottramAug 7, 2021
@ericphelps You won't have to imagine for much longer.

[in Adam Curtis voice]

"And they thought they were rational people, liberated by the technology which the geniuses of the information revolution had created...but in reality the software they used was keeping them under control. It was a prison with automated policing, all made by Sillicon Valley."
Show threadTagomagoAug 7, 2021
@bob @ericphelps Heh, perfect Adam Curtis in my mind.
Show threadMichael Downey Aug 7, 2021
@bob
@ericphelps
But remember, it's not even the government (or Apple) that maintains the database; rather, an independent 3rd party US-based corporation with no public oversight.
Show threadVWAug 8, 2021
@bob @ericphelps truer words have not been said
Show threadGreyshley Aug 7, 2021
@ericphelps a fair point one I haven't thought of before.
Worth noting, though that these are hashes.
A changed letter here, a different shade there...
Dodging it at least SEEMS like it should be trivial.
Show threadTagomagoAug 7, 2021
@ericphelps
Show threadEugen RochkoAug 8, 2021
@ericphelps This is one of the most succint explanations of why this is a worrying move that I've seen so far
Show threadAaron Garcia Aug 8, 2021

@ericphelps I went on a rant about this and then deleted it. Too much power over many by the few.

The few want to know the world's thoughts, while keeping solely their own private.

Show threadEiko SaradaAug 8, 2021
@ericphelps crApple done fucked up. They did it backwards. They should've said this was to combat "nazis," or "disinformation." After everyone supported and praised them for that, then they could slip in the porn stuff.
Show threadMinister CalebAug 8, 2021
@ericphelps of course the government metals in everything they are idiots.
Show threadWolf480plAug 8, 2021
@ericphelps IOW, Apple introduced an Index of Forbidden Books?
Show threadluciusMAug 10, 2021
@ericphelps Are you honestly of the belief that android doesn’t have similar code and practices at its core? When people claim that apple doesn’t value privacy and wave the flag of android in the same breath it’s hilarious.