https://eff.org/deeplinks/2021/...

For fuck’s sake. Here we go again. The old, “...but think of the children...” argument.

Apple just does what is in demand.

From the "protect the kids" mandate, it's not a terrible idea. But from a "let's start exploiting privacy, despite being a privacy focused company - apparently" it's a terrible idea which will only have Governments start to throw some weight onto scope creeping it.

I can see this being abused by abusive parents and partners too easily.

@C0D4 I believe, Apple always have had capabilities for such exploitation in the first place, as they fully control all the devices.

@iiii I wouldn't be surprised if they have the means to do it, maybe not in production (customer facing) releases, I suppose the best defence is doing it in the first place and sealing it back up to prevent others doing it them selves.

*sigh*...

the never ending argument, that all people need to be policed by default all the time, because we are all presumed guilty. And the arbiters of morality are the big-tech companies and the government.

something's not right with this system...

hmm, I have already though of a way to exploit this. Buy an iPhone, register as a child, get on iMessage, ask for sexually explicit content from people that know you are not a child, have their accounts banned because Apple only sees one end of the story.

nothing could go wrong here

@UnicornPoo nothing wrong with cynicism

Hobbits and dwarfs are ready to sue apple for algorithms discrimination.

I think I saw a video where someone was using a webcam or some other camera that could see infrared. They looked at the front of an iPhone and could see it was constantly flashing an infrared signal out of the camera. They conjectured it was always taking pictures. I assume if this is true they are always gathering data. No idea if this is a thing or just some idiots not understanding their phone.

When it's about exposure, or worse, extortion, there's only one solution: Stop being such a fucking lazy parent.

I'm a parent. I have a daughter.

I don't have my whole house babyproofed. We make sure that either of us is always close & aware enough to intervene.

And we let her do dangerous things, within reason. Let her feel that forks are pointy, coffee cups are hot to the touch.

She can browse the internet, unfiltered & unmonitored. Instead, I'm guiding her, making sure that she feels like she can ask for help, even if she makes mistakes. I'm teaching her to use pseudonyms, that encryption is good, but to still treat private DMs as if they were public anyway, only post things you don't mind the whole world to see. Teach her how to use social media sanely & safely, that there are shocking and gross and harmful things on the internet.

Too many parents are like "too busy with career, why can't Big Tech raise my baby?"

Well, fuck you, you're not suited to be a parent.

@Demolishun most phones use an infrared lamp and a sensor to detect when you have it in your ear (proximity sensor). How else would the display turn off when you're in a call? Of course they are just idiots not understanding their phone — they are apple users.

And basically any camera sees infrared unless there's a filter that blocks it. Phone cameras don't tend to have one.

@electrineer Ah, I was wondering if it was something like that. I think in a lot of cases it is willful misleading of people to create controversy.

@iiii That's what you just get if you buy into a walled garden and have no control over the warden.