Go to main content

Textpattern CMS support forum

You are not logged in. Register | Login | Help

#1 2021-08-08 05:54:54

colak
Admin
From: Cyprus
Registered: 2004-11-20
Posts: 9,007
Website GitHub Mastodon Twitter

Sign the letter to apple

On August 5th, 2021, Apple Inc. announced new technological measures meant to apply across virtually all of its devices under the umbrella of “Expanded Protections for Children”. While child exploitation is a serious problem, and while efforts to combat it are almost unquestionably well-intentioned, Apple’s proposal introduces a backdoor that threatens to undermine fundamental privacy protections for all users of Apple products.

Apple’s proposed technology works by continuously monitoring photos saved or shared on the user’s iPhone, iPad, or Mac. One system detects if a certain number of objectionable photos is detected in iCloud storage and alerts the authorities. Another notifies a child’s parents if iMessage is used to send or receive photos that a machine learning algorithm considers to contain nudity.

Because both checks are performed on the user’s device, they have the potential to bypass any end-to-end encryption that would otherwise safeguard the user’s privacy.

appleprivacyletter.com/

There are currently 4847 signatures. Add yours!


Yiannis
——————————
NeMe | hblack.art | EMAP | A Sea change | Toolkit of Care
I do my best editing after I click on the submit button.

Offline

#2 2021-08-08 07:38:26

phiw13
Plugin Author
From: Japan
Registered: 2004-02-27
Posts: 3,058
Website

Re: Sign the letter to apple

Mines will appear once approved… (I think).


Where is that emoji for a solar powered submarine when you need it ?
Sand space – admin theme for Textpattern

Offline

#3 2021-08-08 15:00:53

colak
Admin
From: Cyprus
Registered: 2004-11-20
Posts: 9,007
Website GitHub Mastodon Twitter

Re: Sign the letter to apple

Thanks Philippe, I hope others from our community will sign too.


Yiannis
——————————
NeMe | hblack.art | EMAP | A Sea change | Toolkit of Care
I do my best editing after I click on the submit button.

Offline

#4 2021-08-08 18:19:18

giz
Member
From: New Zealand
Registered: 2004-07-26
Posts: 259
Website

Re: Sign the letter to apple

A nuanced take on the issues can be found at Daring Fireball

Offline

#5 2021-08-08 18:49:44

Bloke
Developer
From: Leeds, UK
Registered: 2006-01-29
Posts: 11,250
Website GitHub

Re: Sign the letter to apple

An excellent post, giz, thanks for sharing.

I still signed anyway, simply because “if these features work as described and only as described, there’s almost no cause for concern”. I don’t like those kind of ifs in the hands of anyone, let alone a tech giant.

As Gruber says, we’ll have to see how it plays out.


The smd plugin menagerie — for when you need one more gribble of power from Textpattern. Bleeding-edge code available on GitHub.

Txp Builders – finely-crafted code, design and Txp

Offline

#6 2021-08-09 00:35:35

phiw13
Plugin Author
From: Japan
Registered: 2004-02-27
Posts: 3,058
Website

Re: Sign the letter to apple

Bloke wrote #331244:

As Gruber says, we’ll have to see how it plays out.

You already know the answer on that, don’t you?

I wish Gruber had cut out that crap about China, and look a little closer to what Uncle Sam is doing, together with the toadies in Five Eyes.

Aral Balkan has a nice take: Apple is trying to redefine what it means to violate your privacy. We must not let it.

He is wrong on one thing, Google and Farcebook and Microsoft and … do much of this already.


Where is that emoji for a solar powered submarine when you need it ?
Sand space – admin theme for Textpattern

Offline

#7 2021-08-09 07:09:14

Bloke
Developer
From: Leeds, UK
Registered: 2006-01-29
Posts: 11,250
Website GitHub

Re: Sign the letter to apple

Another great article from Aral. Thank you, @phiw13.


The smd plugin menagerie — for when you need one more gribble of power from Textpattern. Bleeding-edge code available on GitHub.

Txp Builders – finely-crafted code, design and Txp

Offline

#8 2021-08-09 17:51:54

bici
Member
From: vancouver
Registered: 2004-02-24
Posts: 2,072
Website Mastodon

Re: Sign the letter to apple

thanks to Aral i found Glue.


…. texted postive

Offline

#9 2021-08-09 19:02:13

michaelkpate
Moderator
From: Avon Park, FL
Registered: 2004-02-24
Posts: 1,379
Website GitHub Mastodon

Re: Sign the letter to apple

Apple’s Mistake by Ben Thompson of Stratechery

I haven’t owned an iPhone since the 2nd-Gen 3G. But with so many friends and family enamored with FaceTime I was considering making the switch. I think I’ll pass now.

Note: I did have a 2nd-Gen iPad for a numbers of years but it became much less useful as Apple quit updating it so I gave it to my brother for his children.

Offline

#10 2021-08-10 03:20:00

phiw13
Plugin Author
From: Japan
Registered: 2004-02-27
Posts: 3,058
Website

Re: Sign the letter to apple

Some more docs and FAQs on the subject:

  1. Howard Hoakley tries to explain the working of this scanning and cryptographic signing in accessible terms (based on Apple’s documentation).
  2. Glenn Fleishman and Rich Mogull have a FAQ up at Tidbits (but Hoakley above does a better job on explaining the technical aspects).
  3. Apple has published its own FAQ

One “feature” remains poorly documented: that organisation that provides / manages/ … that database of ‘bad’ images. It seems another of those public-private partnership with unclear oversight. Unclear as well is how much input AND oversight international organisations have in this (given how much the US government loves to impose its narrow views on the world it is not unimportant). BTW, the “screetching” remark some attributes – Aral Balkan amongst others – to Apple in that leaked memo does actually come from the representative of that organisation (see e.g. this tweet highlighting that little fact).

And a final note – Apple’s PR has been nothing short of atrociously bad in this :-)


Where is that emoji for a solar powered submarine when you need it ?
Sand space – admin theme for Textpattern

Offline

#11 2021-08-10 04:30:30

colak
Admin
From: Cyprus
Registered: 2004-11-20
Posts: 9,007
Website GitHub Mastodon Twitter

Re: Sign the letter to apple

The problem I see is that Apple will be using our CPU, our electricity, to process our locally stored content, and then use our bandwidth to report back to itself. The change in their policy will probably be buried in their Terms and Conditions, that non of us actually read, and there will be no opt out.

Do read through this rare twitter discussion between Alex Stamos and Edward Snowden. After clicking the link scroll up to read from the beginning.



Yiannis
——————————
NeMe | hblack.art | EMAP | A Sea change | Toolkit of Care
I do my best editing after I click on the submit button.

Offline

#12 2021-08-13 06:27:17

colak
Admin
From: Cyprus
Registered: 2004-11-20
Posts: 9,007
Website GitHub Mastodon Twitter

Re: Sign the letter to apple

It just occurred to me that apple’s announcement had a very strange timing considering the leaks re the Pegasus project.


Yiannis
——————————
NeMe | hblack.art | EMAP | A Sea change | Toolkit of Care
I do my best editing after I click on the submit button.

Offline

Board footer

Powered by FluxBB