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I'm aware of Google's scanning. I'm even inclined to support them doing that. What I like about the standard Google Photos/Dropbox/OneDrive approach is that it
by DCKing 5y ago
I'm aware of Google's scanning. I'm even inclined to support them doing that.
What I like about the standard Google Photos/Dropbox/OneDrive approach is that it's no secret you upload your photos to their computers, where they process them. They process them for useful features, and they process them to catch child abuse. But I understand clearly I upload it from my device to another device, and that other device can process these photos. I'm not a Google Photos customer mind you (as stated, I prefer other services than Google's), but I understand the premise, value add and what they do with my stuff on their computers. It’s not my device incriminating me, it’s someone else’s device that does that, someone else’s device I chose to send my things to. I understand that relationship.
I will not accept a relationship with a device I own, situated on my desk or in my pocket, where it try to start a process to incriminate me. That's not processing a personal device should be engaging in, even if this starts out gated behind the heavily pushed iCloud Photos (it’s technically opt in), even if the solution is technically sophisticated (it is), and even if there exist definitions of "privacy friendly" where this approach is more privacy friendly (you can argue that all day long). I just don't want a personal device to do this. If Apple wants to draw the line somewhere else than I want to draw it, that means I probably should not support that.
- KOTYAR 5y agoFairphone 4 has 5 years of updates; and it's much more ethical and better for earth to buy phone made with Fairtrade, than another Pixel. You are guaranteed there were no forced or child labour put into your phone too.
- NotPractical 5y agoPrecisely this. I don't care what happens in the cloud. What bothers me is the precedent that Apple sets by shipping iOS with `scanPhotoForIllegalContent()` and `reportUserToPolice()` functions. This code is working against the user's interests. As of now, these functions only run on photos that have already been iCloud synced, and they only look for CSAM, but they could easily expand this later on by changing a few lines of code or adding to the hash database. To be clear, I think CSAM is absolutely disgusting and I want those in possession of it to be prosecuted. But scanning local photos is crossing a line. (I'm sure they catch most pedos through server-side scanning already anyway.) Besides, the only reason Apple gets away with this is because iOS is closed source. If Google tried to pull this shit on a Pixel phone, you could just install a different ROM.