Apple has been sued by the state of West Virginia for what it says was its failure to prevent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from iCloud services such as iMessage and Photos. Here are the details.
The lawsuit claims other technology companies are doing a better job of fighting CSAM
Lora Kolodny writes at CNBC:
The West Virginia attorney general has filed a consumer protection lawsuit against Apple, alleging that it failed to prevent the storage and sharing of child sexual abuse material through iOS devices and iCloud services.
John “JB” McCuskey, a Republican, accused Apple of putting privacy and its own business interests ahead of children’s safety, while other major tech companies, including Google, Microsoft and Dropbox, have been more proactive and use systems like PhotoDNA to combat such material.
In 2021, Apple announced a set of new efforts to stop the spread of CSAM on its devices. However, one of these announcements never materialized.
Apple planned to introduce a CSAM detection system to the Photos app, which it later abandoned after serious concerns raised by privacy researchers.
There was concern that the creation of this new system would open up the possibility for governments to demand access to private user data.
Apple has delivered other child safety-related features aimed at stopping the spread of CSAM, including in iOS 26. But West Virginia clearly believes the company hasn’t done enough.
Apple shared the following with CNBC:
In an emailed statement, an Apple spokesperson told CNBC that “protecting the safety and privacy of our users, especially children, is central to what we do.
The company pointed to parental controls and features like Communication Safety, which “automatically intervenes on children’s devices when nudity is detected in Messages, shared photos, AirDrop and even live FaceTime calls,” as signs of its commitment to providing users with “safety, security and privacy.”
“We innovate every day to combat ever-evolving threats and maintain the safest and most trusted platform for kids,” the spokesperson added.
We will keep you posted on any important case updates.
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