Apple’s plan to “think different” about encryption opens a backdoor to your life.
If it’s not clear, Apple’s move doesn’t really have anything to do with CSA at all. That’s just the usual “think of the children” canard that everyone trots out when they want to ramp up surveillance and label anyone who objects a monster. What this is eventually aiming for is the Chinese market.
Right now this evil anti-feature will only be enabled in the US. However, it’s easier for Apple to trial something in the States. The real goal, though, is introducing this in the Chinese market so the iPhone gets the CCP stamp of approval. Apple has had a bit of trouble selling iPhones in China partially because Apple phones have historically been a little more privacy-focused, which of course the CCP does not appreciate.
It doesn’t matter to Apple (or anyone) if this snares innocent people because it’s not about that. It’s all about selling more iPhones in China. Once you bring geopolitics and multinational corporate thoughtspace into the mix, the move makes a lot more sense. The hash detection database/AI at first will only flag the most heinous things but as it expands (and especially in China, but inevitably here too), it’ll start reporting thoughtcrime, banned memes, cancellable ideas, etc.
Financially this will be a huge net win for Apple so I don’t see any possibility of it being reversed as the Chinese market is so large.