WhatsApp Chief Blasts Apple's New 'Surveillance System'

by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, 5 hours ago The head of Facebook’s WhatsApp on Friday publicly blasted Apple’s decision to scan users’ content for illegal images.“Instead of focusing on making it easy for people to report content that’s shared with them, Apple has built software that can scan all the private photos on your phone — even photos you haven’t shared with anyone. That’s not privacy,” WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said on Twitter.“People have asked if we’ll adopt this system for WhatsApp. The answer is no,” he wrote.Cathcart’s post came one day after Apple said it will roll out software that scans users’ devices for photos that match ones in an existing database of child sex abuse images, and alert outside organizations if users attempt to upload matched photos to iCloud.iPhone and iPad users won’t have any choice about downloading the surveillance software.WhatsApp currently says it scans “unencrypted information such as profile and group photos and user reports” for known “child exploitative imagery.”Apple also announced its messaging service will scan posts to and from minors for sexual content, but that feature can be turned off by parents.News of Apple’s plans roiled privacy advocates, including groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Center for Democracy &…
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