Apple Blocks Nude Photo Messages on Mobile Devices Used by Children

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The exchange of nude photos through the Messages application on Apple mobile devices will be blocked.

According to foreign media on the 13th, Apple is set to release the operating system iOS 15.2 soon, which includes an image detection and filtering feature for the Messages app.

Mobile devices owned by children, such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs, will automatically analyze the exposure level of images exchanged through the Messages app. If an image is judged to be a nude photo, it will be blurred and the child will be warned that the content is sensitive. Additionally, if a child attempts to send a nude photo via the Messages app, the child will also receive a warning.

Children who receive a warning can contact their parents through the Messages app, but such situations are not automatically notified to the parents.

To activate the image filtering feature in the Messages app, it must be enabled in the Family Sharing account.

Apple's move follows criticism in August that its efforts to ban child sexual exploitation materials infringed on privacy. Initially, Apple planned not only to implement the Messages app image filtering feature but also to add automatic detection of child exploitation pornography in its cloud service iCloud and a child abuse reporting function through the AI voice assistant Siri.

However, human rights organizations strongly opposed the algorithm used for detecting child exploitation pornography, arguing it could be misused to surveil people. As a result, Apple decided to introduce only the Messages app image filtering and Siri’s child abuse reporting features, while putting the child exploitation pornography detection function on hold.

Regarding the Messages app image filtering, Apple initially planned to automatically notify parents when a nude photo was detected, but this automatic notification was excluded in the current update.

Additionally, Apple has added a feature allowing users to designate contacts who can receive their "digital legacy" in the event of their death, along with other enhanced privacy protection features.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.