Cybersecurity Experts Sound Alarm on Apple and E.U. Phone Scanning Plans
"A group of researchers said the 'dangerous technology' was invasive and not effective at detecting images of child sexual abuse.
More than a dozen prominent cybersecurity experts on Thursday criticized plans by Apple and the European Union to monitor people’s phones for illicit material, calling the efforts ineffective and dangerous strategies that would embolden government surveillance.
In a 46-page study, the researchers wrote that the proposal by Apple, aimed at detecting images of child sexual abuse on iPhones, as well as an idea forwarded by members of the European Union to detect similar abuse and terrorist imagery on encrypted devices in Europe, used 'dangerous technology.'
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Aside from surveillance concerns, the researchers said, their findings indicated that the technology was not effective at identifying images of child sexual abuse. Within days of Apple’s announcement, they said, people had pointed out ways to avoid detection by editing the images slightly.
The technology allows 'scanning of a personal private device without any probable cause for anything illegitimate being done,' added another member of the group, Susan Landau, a professor of cybersecurity and policy at Tufts University. 'It’s extraordinarily dangerous. It’s dangerous for business, national security, for public safety and for privacy.'"