An international coalition of more than 90 policy and rights groups is urging Apple to drop plans to scan user photos for child abuse material (CSAM).
In an open letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook, published on Thursday, the coalition said it is concerned the feature “will be used to censor protected speech, threaten the privacy and security of people around the world, and have disastrous consequences for children.”
Apple defends its plan to scan user photos for child sexual abuse imagery in a newly published FAQ that aims to quell growing concerns from privacy advocates.
The document provides “more clarity and transparency,” Apple said, after noting that “many stakeholders including privacy organizations and child safety organizations have expressed their support” for the move.
The FAQ explains the differences between child sexual abuse imagery scanning in iCloud and the new child-protection features coming to Apple’s Messages app. It also reassures users that Apple will not entertain government requests to expand the features.
Apple will soon offer a new tool to protect children from sexual predators. The Messages application will be able to detect if an iPhone or iPad user gets or sends sexually explicit photos.
The process will use on-device machine learning so that Apple does not have access to the images.
iOS 15 just made the jump from rumor to reality. Apple is bringing major new features to FaceTime, Messages, notifications, and more. Many of the applications that come bundled with iPhone are getting updates, like Apple Maps and Weather.
However, some features people had been hoping for didn’t make the cut, like interactive widgets.
iOS 14 gives us the ability to “pin” important contacts and group chats inside the Messages app for the first time. Pinned conversations stay at the top of the list so they’re always easy to find.
Here’s how to use this handy new feature.
Apple looks to be gearing up to port iPad’s built-in Messages app over to Mac. The move could immediately fix Messages’ biggest problems on Mac, including its glaring lack of features.
The desktop version of the app still does not support iMessage apps, Apple Pay, message effects and other key features. Evidence of the move has been uncovered in leaked iOS 14 code, indicating it could be executed this fall when Apple drops its next major macOS update.
Apple designed a workable system to let people edit text messages after they send them. But now we have to hope it’ll be implemented.
This is potentially great news for everyone who ever wished they could fix an embarrassing text.
This sweet Apple Watch concept imagines a brand-new voice messaging feature that would allow watchOS users to send each other voice messages.
Apple Watch already allows users to make calls and send texts, but voice messaging is not yet part of its default featureset.
Apple is reportedly testing a number of new iMessage features that could debut with iOS 14 later this year. They include the ability to retract messages after they’re sent, and to tag other people in group chats. We could also get the option to mark messages as unread.
Did you know that you can take remote control of another Mac’s screen via iMessage screen sharing? If you’re troubleshooting a family member’s Mac, for example, you can ask them to share their screen with you, and then take over from your own Mac. This is a hell of a lot quicker than trying to talk them through the deeper recesses of their Mac over the phone.
And, of course, it’s pretty easy to set up. Let’s take a look at how to share screens using Messages on the Mac.
