Security News > 2021 > August > Apple Revives Encryption Debate With Move on Child Exploitation
Apple's announcement that it would scan encrypted messages for evidence of child sexual abuse has revived debate on online encryption and privacy, raising fears the same technology could be used for government surveillance.
The move represents a major shift for Apple, which has until recently resisted efforts to weaken its encryption that prevents third parties from seeing private messages.
Blaze said the implementation is "Potentially very risky" because Apple has moved from scanning data on services to the phone itself and "Has potential access to all your local data."
"Apple's expanded protection for children is a game changer," said John Clark, president of the nonprofit NCMEC. The move comes following years of standoffs involving technology firms and law enforcement.
Apple notably resisted a legal effort to weaken iPhone encryption to allow authorities to read messages from a suspect in a 2015 bombing in San Bernardino, California.
James Lewis, who heads technology and public policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Apple's latest move appears to be a positive step, noting that the company is identifying offending material while avoiding directly turning over data to law enforcement.