Apple has scanned iCloud Mail for CSAM since 2019: report

As many are concerned about Apple’s new plans for scan iPhones for signs of child abuse material, the company confirmed that it is already scanning users’ iCloud email accounts for such images– and it has been for years.

Like ffirst reported by 9to5mac to On Monday, the company has actually been scanning cloud-linked email accounts since 2019 for child pornography (CSAM) material. The point of sale journalist, Ben lovejoy, explained it thus:

Apple confirmed to me that it has been scanning outgoing and inbound iCloud mail for CSAM attachments since 2019. Since emails are not encrypted, scanning attachments when mail passes through Apple servers would be a task. trivial. Apple also said it was doing limited analysis of other data, but didn’t tell me what it was except to suggest it was on a small scale. He told me that “other data” does not include iCloud backups.

Lovejoy also quotes a now archived Apple safety page for children, which also notes the analysis of e-mails as the company’s privacy officer, Jane Horvath, would have mentioning its CSAM scanning technology a conference in early 2020. We have reached out to Apple to independently verify the claims made by 9to5mac and will update this piece if they respond.

The news comes amid lingering concerns about Apple’s new plans to roll out analytics to iPhones and other iOS devices for CSAM. The new features, announced less than a month ago, have alarmed privacy advocates, who see the new tools as a slippery slope to broader surveillance.

We have already explained how these features work, why critics fear could be militarized, and why apple says such fears are exaggerated.

Despite the company’s continued attempts to rally everyone, however, morale did not particularly improve. Thousands of cybersecurity and IT professionals recently signed a petition ask Apple to reconsider its plans. a open letter to Tim Cook, signed by more than 90 different political groups, said the new tools “will be used to censor protected speech, threaten the privacy and security of people around the world and have dire consequences for children.” Even Bill Maher recently make a segment on it in which he dunk pretty hard on the decision.

The controversy has threatened Apple’s image as a company that prioritizes consumer privacy. However, it’s unclear whether the current outcry will deter the tech giant. New features expected to be rolled out exclusively in the United States later this year with the release of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15.