UK iPhones will soon scan for nudity in texts sent to children

By

UK iPhones will soon scan for iPhone sexually explicit images in texts sent to children
The iPhone's Communication Safety in Messages feature is already available in the U.S., and is headed for the U.K.
Image: Apple

Apple will soon begin rolling out in the United Kingdom a tool intended to protect children from sexual predators. The Messages application will be able to detect if a child’s iPhone gets or sends sexually explicit photos.

The feature is already available in the United States.

UK kids warned of sexually explicit photos

Thanks to a feature Apple calls Communication Safety in Messages, a child that receives a nude photo in the Messages application will see only a blur. If the child tries to view it, they will receive an alert that asks, “Are you sure?” along with additional warnings.

The scan for sexually explicit photos happens on the iPhone. “Messages analyses image attachments and determines if a photo contains nudity, while maintaining the end-to-end encryption of the messages,” Apple said in a statement. “The feature is designed so that no indication of the detection of nudity ever leaves the device. Apple does not get access to the messages.”

When Apple originally announced the feature in 2021, it said the iPhone would warn parents if a child accepted or sent a message that had been flagged as sexually explicit. That’s changed, as Apple now says, “No notifications are sent to the parent or anyone else.”

The privacy feature is optional, and is turned off by default. It can only be activated on iCloud accounts that have been set up to include children.

In the United States, Communication Safety in Messages arrived with iOS 15.2 in late December. It’ll debut in the U.K. in the coming weeks.

Via: The Guardian

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.