iOS

In: computers, software. Also: Android-OS.

iOS is bad. But I’m not defending Android, because it’s probably worse.

Articles

The All-Seeing “i”: Apple just declared war on your privacy, by Edward Snowden

Apple: “Designed in California, Assembled in China, purchased by you, owned by us”
https://edwardsnowden.substack.com/p/all-seeing-i

Saying goodbye to an old friend

Trillion-dollar corporations are not your friend
https://ar.al/2021/12/16/saying-goodbye-to-an-old-friend

Former Apple engineer says the button on iPhones asking apps not to track you is a ‘dud’ that gives users a ‘false sense of privacy’

Apple claims “what happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone”. A former employee says argues that’s not the case
“We found that App Tracking Transparency made no difference in the total number of active third-party trackers,” the study says
“We further confirmed that detailed personal or device data was being sent to trackers in almost all cases”
https://yahoo.com/news/former-apple-engineer-says-button-164452709.html
https://businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-privacy-initiative-ask-app-not-to-track-study-2021-9

Apple belatedly confirms bug which collected audio recordings from iPhone users

Apple may record your conversations without your consent and storing them on their servers
https://forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2022/02/12/apple-iphone-ipad-siri-audio-recordings-iphone-privacy

Apple photo-scanning plan faces global backlash from 90 rights groups

Groups say iPhone-scanning could harm some children and be used for surveillance
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/08/apple-photo-scanning-plan-faces-global-backlash-from-90-rights-groups

Police to begin regular, warrant-free searches of homes for child abuse material

https://drewdevault.com/2021/08/10/Apple-CSAM-scanning.html

The Federal Bureau of Investigations announced a new initiative today to combat the proliferation of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in the United States. Starting next year, police will be conducting regular searches of US homes, as often as once or twice per week per home, to find child sexual abuse materials. This initiative will bring more child abusers to justice and help abuse victims to find solace in the knowledge that records of their abuse are not being shared in perpetuity.
Government officials are confident that the possibility of having your home searched at any time will ultimately pose little to no inconvenience to Americans, particularly with respect to the things they choose to do, people they choose to associate with, and things they say to their family and friends in the privacy of their homes.
…wait. This is happening, but I got some of the details wrong…
It’s not homes which are being searched, but the digital devices we use for all of our communication and information storage and retrieval needs in contemporary life.
And it’s not lock manufacturers that are making it possible, but Apple. And the government didn’t ask: they volunteered.
And it’s not police officers, but a proprietary machine learning algorithm that no one understands.
Oh, and it’s not happening one or two times a week, but on an ongoing basis, every time you use your device.

https://twitter.com/misskatiecharm/status/1425142643982364674

me: “fuck you doing in my house!?”
Apple genius tech: “just installing this camera to make sure you don’t molest any kids. It’s a new feature!”
me: “im not gonna do that, and I don’t want you spying on me, get OUT.”
tech: “if you’re not molesting kids, you have nothing to fear.”
@misskatiecharm