We interrupt your regularly-scheduled gaming-arc to bring you BREAKING NEWS: Apple– no wait hold on- we complain about Apple a lot, but (this time especially) we have a point. Apple’s been touting itself as the best choice for privacy for.. quite a while. They’ve even been vocal about rejecting a government backdoor! …So are they really buckling?

Apple’s Privacy Friendly Past:

• CNBC, 16 January 2020, “Apple’s fight with Trump and the Justice Department is about more than two iPhones“
• WIRED, 16 April 2019, “The FBI Wanted a Back Door to the iPhone. Tim Cook Said No“
• 9to5Mac, 5 January 2019, “Ahead of CES, Apple touts ‘what happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone’ with privacy billboard in Las Vegas“
• The New York Times, 22 April 2016, “U.S. Opens Another iPhone, This Time With the Keycode“
• Apple.com, Customer Letter on Government Request

Reuters, 21 January 2020, “Exclusive: Apple dropped plan for encrypting backups after FBI complained – sources“

Apple On-Device Scanning (NeuralHash):

• Wccftech, 6 August 2021, “No Longer Concerned About Privacy? Apple Opens Backdoors to iPhones to Detect CSAM“
• Electronic Frontier Foundation, 5 August 2021, “Apple’s Plan to “Think Different” About Encryption Opens a Backdoor to Your Private Life“

Hash Collision:

• The Verge, 23 February 2017, “Google just cracked one of the building blocks of web encryption (but don’t worry)“
• ThisHashCollisionIsNotPorn.com
• Roboflow Blog, 19 August 2021, “ImageNet contains naturally occurring NeuralHash collisions”
• The Verge, 18 August 2021, “Apple says collision in child-abuse hashing system is not a concern“

Opinions:

• Edward Snowden’s Blog, 25 August 2021, “The All-Seeing “i”: Apple Just Declared War on Your Privacy”

The idea that parents are safe people for teens to have conversations about sex or sexting with is admirable, but in many cases, not true. (And as far as I can tell, this stuff doesn't just apply to kids under the age for 13.)

• WIRED, 3 September 2021, “Apple Backs Down on Its Controversial Photo-Scanning Plans“

Electronic Frontier Foundation, 7 January 2015, “Sorry iPhone Users: Apple’s Dev Agreement Means No EFF Mobile App for iOS“

EFF Petition, “Tell Apple: Don’t Scan Our Phones”

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Opening Music: Dark Synthwave by MOKKA