It’s gradually dawning on me how badly Apple screwed up with this content scanning announcement.
If Apple had announced that they were scanning text messages sent through their systems, or photo libraries shared with outside users — well, I wouldn’t have been happy with that. But I think the public would have accepted it.
But they didn’t do that. They announced that they’re going to do real-time scanning of individuals’ *private photo libraries* on their own phones.
That’s… something different. And new. And uncomfortable.
That’s… something different. And new. And uncomfortable.
I think the error here is that engineers and law enforcement got lazy. I understand their thought process and where it went wrong. It looks like this…
1) We can scan photos that users share with other people, since nobody wants child exploitation media shared.
2) Backups of private data *aren’t* sharing, but people have to upload the data and we *can* scan it.
3) Since we can do (2), why not also scan data on users’ devices?
2) Backups of private data *aren’t* sharing, but people have to upload the data and we *can* scan it.
3) Since we can do (2), why not also scan data on users’ devices?
The problem is that engineers got so busy boiling this particular frog that they failed to realize something. The general public might have bought into step (1). But nobody bought into step (2). It was just a wonky technical accident that backups could even be scanned.
So when you tell the general public that you’re going to start rifling through their personal photos *on their own device* they don’t like it. It is, to be blunt and US-centric, unamerican.
Maybe Apple will reverse course and maybe they don’t. But I don’t think they have come to terms with the deep well of antipathy and mistrust this move is going to create. It’s going to be with them for years, undoing billions of dollars in priceless customer trust and marketing. 
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