Apple Confirms Detection of Child Sexual Abuse Material is Disabled When iCloud Photos is Turned Off

Apple today announced that iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 will see the introduction of a new method for detecting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on iPhones and iPads in the United States.

iCloud General Feature
User devices will download an unreadable database of known CSAM image hashes and will do an on-device comparison to the user's own photos, flagging them for known CSAM material before they're uploaded to iCloud Photos. Apple says that this is a highly accurate method for detecting CSAM and protecting children.

CSAM image scanning is not an optional feature and it happens automatically, but Apple has confirmed to MacRumors that it cannot detect known CSAM images if the ‌iCloud Photos‌ feature is turned off.

Apple's method works by identifying a known CSAM photo on device and then flagging it when it's uploaded to ‌iCloud Photos‌ with an attached voucher. After a certain number of vouchers (aka flagged photos) have been uploaded to ‌iCloud Photos‌, Apple can interpret the vouchers and does a manual review. If CSAM content is found, the user account is disabled and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is notified.

Because Apple is scanning ‌iCloud Photos‌ for the CSAM flags, it makes sense that the feature does not work with ‌iCloud Photos‌ disabled. Apple has also confirmed that it cannot detect known CSAM images in iCloud Backups if ‌iCloud Photos‌ is disabled on a user's device.

It's worth noting that Apple is scanning specifically for hashes of known child sexual abuse materials and it is not broadly inspecting a user's photo library or scanning personal images that are not already circulating among those who abuse children. Still, users who have privacy concerns about Apple's efforts to scan user photo libraries can disable ‌iCloud Photos‌.

Security researchers have expressed concerns over Apple's CSAM initiative and worry that it could in the future be able to detect other kinds of content that could have political and safety implications, but for now, Apple's efforts are limited seeking child abusers.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...

Top Rated Comments

iObama Avatar
51 months ago

Scanning my photos for kiddie porn has no effect on my privacy, since I don’t have any kiddie porn.
Here's the thing. That's great that you don't have any of that on your device!

But if you ever live in a country that, for some reason, wants to find something on your device and have it flagged in order to charge you with a crime, this sets a dangerous precedent.

Surveillance technology, while often well-intentioned, can easily end up in the wrong hands for nefarious purposes.
Score: 77 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
51 months ago
what’s next? scanning your stuff on iCloud for anti government materials for oppressive governments?
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zakarhino Avatar
51 months ago

Scanning my photos for kiddie porn has no effect on my privacy, since I don’t have any kiddie porn.
Random warrantless searches of your property have no effect on you because you're not a criminal.

Warrantless surveilance of your entire digital life has no effect on you because you're not a criminal.

^ Those statements are contingent on what the powers that be define as "criminal." If the definition changes tomorrow then they'll have all the infrastructure and law in place to subjugate you as they please. At one point in time it was practically considered criminal to be Japanese in the USA, not that you would care because that has "no effect" on you if you weren't Japanese during that period of time.


If that were to happen I’d be here railing against it.

But as long as they’re just helping catch these sick freaks they have nothing but my support.
If they have all the infrastructure in place then there is no "railing against it" because by that time it's too late. There's no "railing against" nuclear weapons once we've all gone up in smoke. There's no "railing against" climate change once it's already too late and the planet is no longer viable for human life. The time to "rail against" technologies like this is not after they've been abused when it's too late, the time is NOW when the technology is capable of doing those things but hasn't yet gone that far.

Apple are implementing a system that is capable of scanning all the photos on your device against a database of images that can include images not related to child abuse, regardless of whether or not you have iCloud turned on. It doesn't matter that right now it disables itself when iCloud is off and it doesn't matter the database supposedly only includes child abuse images, it is CAPABLE of being an authoritarian tool at a moment's notice via minimal updates in the same way a nuclear bomb is capable of decimating a country with a few button presses even if the bomb is currently sitting in a silo.

You would say there's no issue with the patriot act because you're not a terrorist but it turns out the patriot act and its sister policies have been used to harass journalists and climate activists. It's not like there haven't been terror attacks on US soil since the patriot act was enacted. There were a 1000 other things the US government could have done to prevent more terrorist attacks globally but they chose the option of spying on every single citizen and violating people's constitutional rights instead. If you're actually interested in stopping "sickos" then support systems that actually combat the core issue rather than the "let's just police the entire public more" solution which won't actually stop "sickos" (terrorists use their own encrypted chat tools they make themselves according to various reports, so do child abusers most likely).

Nobody wants terrorists or child abusers in their community. Increasing the reach of warrantless, global spying programs is not the way to tackle the issue. Make no mistake, this system is capable of being a spying tool that bypasses end to end encryption regardless of how it's configured as of right now.
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alex00100 Avatar
51 months ago
Sounds like damage control by Apple. It's a bad feature, period. Having a workaround to disable it does not change that.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
51 months ago
Sounds like I’ll be turning off iCloud.

Apple, go ahead and release that 1TB iPhone.

Please, respect our privacy as consumers. Don’t be creepy. How times have changed!



Attachment Image
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
51 months ago

I agree with darcyf that if you're not doing anything wrong, then you have nothing to worry about.
Who decides what's wrong, though? Regardless of where you fall politically, there is likely something you do or have that some politician wants to make illegal.

We're starting with something that is fairly universal in people saying it's wrong, but it's a slippery slope. Now that the tools are there, an authoritarian government can start telling Apple to do whatever with it.

And everyone knows that Apple's commitment to human rights and privacy goes right out the window the moment the Chinese Communist Party asks for assistance in trampling them.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)