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Apple-CSAM-scanning.md (3401B)

    

  1. ---
  2. title: Police to begin regular, warrant-free searches of homes for child abuse material
  3. date: 2021-08-10
  4. ---
  6. The Federal Bureau of Investigations announced a new initiative today to combat
  7. the proliferation of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) in the United States.
  8. Starting next year, police will be conducting regular searches of US homes, as
  9. often as once or twice per week per home, to find child sexual abuse materials.
  10. This initiative will bring more child abusers to justice and help abuse victims
  11. to find solace in the knowledge that records of their abuse are not being shared
  12. in perpetuity.
  14. To facilitate frequent and convenient searches, the FBI will be working with
  15. lock manufacturers to institute a new standard for home locks in the United
  16. States which permits their use via a "master key", to be held securely by
  17. authorized government employees only. These new locks will become mandatory for
  18. all new homes next year, and a gradual process of retrofitting will take place
  19. in existing homes with the goal of having the program up to its full throughput
  20. no later than 2024.
  22. In response to questions raised by ~~child abuse apologists~~ concerned privacy
  23. advocates, the director of the FBI stated in a press conference:
  25. > Of course, for citizens who do not possess images of child sexual abuse, there
  26. > is no cause for concern. Search operatives will undergo a mandatory 2 hour
  27. > training course, and will be instructed to disregard anything they find or
  28. > learn in the course of their searches which does not involve CSAM. Through our
  29. > partnership with industry leaders in home security, we will make the process
  30. > as safe and convenient as possible, so that authorized officers may enter your
  31. > home at any time and quietly conduct their business without disturbing your
  32. > day. We are excited about this unprecedented opportunity to curb the
  33. > distribution of child abuse material in this country.
  35. In short, government officials are confident that the possibility of having your
  36. home searched at any time will ultimately pose little to no inconvenience to
  37. Americans, particularly with respect to the things they choose to do, people
  38. they choose to associate with, and things they say to their family and friends
  39. in ~~the privacy of~~ their homes.
  41. The director also noted the numerous jobs which will be created to fill the
  42. increased demand for officers, and petitioned congress for the appropriate
  43. increase to their budget.
  45. ---
  47. ...wait. This *is* happening, but I got some of the details wrong.
  49. It's not homes which are being searched, but the digital devices we use for all
  50. of our communication and information storage and retrieval needs in contemporary
  51. life.
  53. And it's not lock manufacturers that are making it possible, but Apple. And the
  54. government didn't ask: they volunteered.
  56. And it's not police officers, but a proprietary machine learning algorithm that
  57. no one understands.
  59. Oh, and it's not happening one or two times a week, but on an ongoing basis,
  60. every time you use your device.
  62. I did get a few things, right though. The only thing which limits the scope of
  63. searches will be whichever things Apple chooses to search or not to search. And
  64. whatever Congress demands they repurpose the system to use. Ah — and it is
  65. warrant-free.
  67. Won't you think of the children?
  69. [source](https://www.apple.com/child-safety/pdf/CSAM_Detection_Technical_Summary.pdf)