security
Content shared with anyone with the URL will be scanned for “harmful content”, although iMaker has not defined this term.
If you share content using iCloud public links, Apple may soon be looking over your shoulder and searching for “harmful content.” iBiz announced plans to moderate publicly available iCloud sharing links in version 27.3 of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS on a support page published Tuesday. To clarify, this only applies to iCloud content shared via links created to be accessible to everyone, as opposed to content shared directly with other people.
“Items shared using Anyone with the link will be checked by Apple for harmful content,” Apple explained on the new help page without bothering to define what harmful content means. From the wording, it appears these controls will apply to any iCloud items shared using “Anyone with the link,” which Apple says they can also access. The company did not explain how the controls would work.
The option to share with anyone removes end-to-end encryption from the shared item, Apple said, although Advanced Data Protection, Apple’s optional end-to-end encryption feature for supported iCloud data, remains enabled for the account.
“If you attempt to upload harmful content, Apple reserves the right to move, refuse, edit, delete, or remove the content at any time,” the help page continues, adding that iMaker may also block or disable accounts associated with harmful content.
The company also said it reserves the right to involve law enforcement if necessary, suggesting its undefined category of “harmful content” could include child sexual abuse material (CSAM), malware and other potentially illegal content.
However, without a proper definition of what it defines as harmful, iCloud users are essentially left at Apple’s mercy: If Apple chooses to continue to kneel to the Trump administration, for example, content deemed objectionable by political figures’ standards could end up being erased.
Apple also hasn’t explained whether human moderators, automated systems, or both will be responsible for identifying and removing so-called harmful content, or whether decisions will be left to AI, which can easily be fooled into making the wrong moderation call.
The analysis of this content, as mentioned above, begins with version 27.3 of Apple’s various operating systems, which were released on Tuesday in beta for developers, with a general release expected in December.
Apple did not respond to questions for this story. ®
Gn tech
