Comment by barsonme
4 years ago
I’m sorry, but there is a world of difference between locally indexing files for local search and tagging files as contraband so that they can be reported to the government.
4 years ago
I’m sorry, but there is a world of difference between locally indexing files for local search and tagging files as contraband so that they can be reported to the government.
Technically speaking, no there isn’t. It’s just a little bit if metadata you’re sticking on an already long tail of metadata that they’re doing as they index.
Most importantly, people are arguing that there is new technical risk, so a difference in intent or beneficiaries is not relevant for that argument.
Being technically similar is irrelevant. It’s completely different in principle, and that’s what matters.
A great deal many things are technically similar, but vastly different in principle. And those distinctions are important.
I’m not sure which side you’re arguing here.
The biggest concern about Apple’s system is that it’s very easy to add new items to a hash list. That is an argument about the technical similarity of scanning for CSAM and scanning for other things like classified documents (for example).
But there is a vast difference in principle. Pretty much everyone wants to stop child abuse. But many people—including major news organizations—believe citizens should sometimes have the opportunity to view classified documents.
Different categories of things to scan for will be different in principle, even if the technical approach is similar. This difference in principle is what Apple leans on when they say they will oppose any request to expand their system beyond CSAM.
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