>The other side of the coin is that criminals are using E2EE communication systems to share sexual abuse material in ways and at rates which they were not previously able to.
I think that companies might need to enable some kind of mechanism for offline investigation of the devices though. The CSAM is a real problem, there are real predators out there, the only risks isn't CSAM and law enforcement does really need to have a way to investigate devices. Previously, my proposal was the ability to force the device scan the user content for fingerprints of the suspected content but only with physical access. Physical access enforces the law enforcement to actually have a real and official investigation with strong enough reasons to spend resources and risk repercussions when done improperly.
However, the project of scanning all the user content for policing the users was one thing that irked and later relieved when Apple abandoned the project.
Apple's explanation is good and I agree with them but IMHO the more important aspects are:
1) Being able to trust your devices being on your side. That is, your device shouldn't be policing you and shouldn't be snitching on you. At this time you might think that the authorities who would have controlled yor device are on your side but don't forget that those authorities can change. Today the devices may be catching CSAM, some day the authorities can start demanding catching people opposing vaccines and an election or a revolution later they can start catching people who want to have an abortion or having premarital sexual relations or other non-kosher affairs.
2) Being free of the notion that you are always watched. If your device can choose to reveal your private thoughts or business, be it by mistake or by design, you can no longer have thoughts that are unaligned with the official ones. This is like the idea of a god who is always watching you but instead of a creator and angels you get C level businessmen and employees who go through your stuff when the devices triggers decryption of your data(by false positives or by true positives).
Anyway, policing everyone all the time must be an idea that is rejected by the free world, if the free world doesn't intent to be as free as Democratic People's Republic of Korea is democratic.
I think that companies might need to enable some kind of mechanism for offline investigation of the devices though. The CSAM is a real problem, there are real predators out there, the only risks isn't CSAM and law enforcement does really need to have a way to investigate devices. Previously, my proposal was the ability to force the device scan the user content for fingerprints of the suspected content but only with physical access. Physical access enforces the law enforcement to actually have a real and official investigation with strong enough reasons to spend resources and risk repercussions when done improperly.
However, the project of scanning all the user content for policing the users was one thing that irked and later relieved when Apple abandoned the project.
Apple's explanation is good and I agree with them but IMHO the more important aspects are:
1) Being able to trust your devices being on your side. That is, your device shouldn't be policing you and shouldn't be snitching on you. At this time you might think that the authorities who would have controlled yor device are on your side but don't forget that those authorities can change. Today the devices may be catching CSAM, some day the authorities can start demanding catching people opposing vaccines and an election or a revolution later they can start catching people who want to have an abortion or having premarital sexual relations or other non-kosher affairs.
2) Being free of the notion that you are always watched. If your device can choose to reveal your private thoughts or business, be it by mistake or by design, you can no longer have thoughts that are unaligned with the official ones. This is like the idea of a god who is always watching you but instead of a creator and angels you get C level businessmen and employees who go through your stuff when the devices triggers decryption of your data(by false positives or by true positives).
Anyway, policing everyone all the time must be an idea that is rejected by the free world, if the free world doesn't intent to be as free as Democratic People's Republic of Korea is democratic.