West Virginia alleges Apple failed to detect, report child sexual abuse material

West Virginia sues Apple for allegedly letting child abuse spread in iCloud

West Virginia has filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of allowing the distribution and storage of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in iCloud. In a lawsuit filed on Thursday, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey claims that by abandoning a CSAM detection system in favor of end-to-end encryption, iCloud has become a "secure frictionless avenue for the possession, protection, and distribution [of] CSAM," violating the state's consumer protection laws. Apple initially outlined plans to launch a system that checks iCloud photos against a known list of CSAM images in 2021. The move was met with significant backlash from pr … Read the full story at The Verge.

Engadget3 days ago

West Virginia is suing Apple alleging negligence over CSAM materials

The office of the Attorney General for West Virginia announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that the company had "knowingly" allowed its iCloud platform "to be used as a vehicle for distributing and storing child sexual abuse material." The state alleges this went on for years but drew no action from the tech giant "under the guise of user privacy." In the lawsuit, the state repeatedly cites a text from Apple executive Eric Friedman, in which he calls iCloud "the greatest platform for distributing child porn" in a conversation with another Apple executive. These messages were first uncovered by The Verge in 2021 within discovery documents for the Epic Games v. Apple trial. In the conversation, Friedman says while some other platforms prioritize safety over privacy, Apple's priorities "are the inverse." The state further alleges that detection technology to help root out and report CSAM exists, but that Apple chooses not to implement it. Apple indeed considered scanning iCloud Photos for CSAM in 2021, but abandoned these plans after pushback stemming from privacy concerns. In 2024 Apple was sued by a group of over 2,500 victims of child sexual abuse, citing nearly identical claims and alleging that Apple's failure to implement these features led to the victims' harm as images of them circulated through the company's servers. At the time Apple told Engadget, “child sexual abuse material is abhorrent and we are committed to fighting the ways predators put children at risk. We are urgently and actively innovating to combat these crimes without compromising the security and privacy of all our users." The case in West Virginia would mark the first time a governmental body is bringing such an action against the iPhone maker. The state says it is seeking injunctive relief that would compel Apple to implement effective CSAM detection measures as well as damages. We have reached out to Apple for comment on the suit and will update if we hear ba

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West Virginia alleges Apple failed to detect, report child sexual abuse material

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West Virginia sues Apple for allegedly letting child abuse spread in iCloud

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West Virginia alleges Apple failed to detect, report child sexual abuse material

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West Virginia sues Apple for allegedly letting child abuse spread in iCloud

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The Verge3 days ago
West Virginia sues Apple for allegedly letting child abuse spread in iCloud
West Virginia has filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of allowing the distribution and storage of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in iCloud. In a lawsuit filed on Thursday, West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey claims that by abandoning a CSAM detection system in favor of end-to-end encryption, iCloud has become a "secure frictionless avenue for the possession, protection, and distribution [of] CSAM," violating the state's consumer protection laws. Apple initially outlined plans to launch a system that checks iCloud photos against a known list of CSAM images in 2021. The move was met with significant backlash from pr … Read the full story at The Verge.

Engadget3 days ago
West Virginia is suing Apple alleging negligence over CSAM materials
The office of the Attorney General for West Virginia announced Thursday that it has filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that the company had "knowingly" allowed its iCloud platform "to be used as a vehicle for distributing and storing child sexual abuse material." The state alleges this went on for years but drew no action from the tech giant "under the guise of user privacy." In the lawsuit, the state repeatedly cites a text from Apple executive Eric Friedman, in which he calls iCloud "the greatest platform for distributing child porn" in a conversation with another Apple executive. These messages were first uncovered by The Verge in 2021 within discovery documents for the Epic Games v. Apple trial. In the conversation, Friedman says while some other platforms prioritize safety over privacy, Apple's priorities "are the inverse." The state further alleges that detection technology to help root out and report CSAM exists, but that Apple chooses not to implement it. Apple indeed considered scanning iCloud Photos for CSAM in 2021, but abandoned these plans after pushback stemming from privacy concerns. In 2024 Apple was sued by a group of over 2,500 victims of child sexual abuse, citing nearly identical claims and alleging that Apple's failure to implement these features led to the victims' harm as images of them circulated through the company's servers. At the time Apple told Engadget, “child sexual abuse material is abhorrent and we are committed to fighting the ways predators put children at risk. We are urgently and actively innovating to combat these crimes without compromising the security and privacy of all our users." The case in West Virginia would mark the first time a governmental body is bringing such an action against the iPhone maker. The state says it is seeking injunctive relief that would compel Apple to implement effective CSAM detection measures as well as damages. We have reached out to Apple for comment on the suit and will update if we hear ba

The Hillabout 1 hour ago
GOP governor: Trump’s push to end TPS for Haitians ‘is wrong’
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) again defended Haitian migrants Sunday, as a legal challenge to the Trump administration’s attempts to revoke temporary protected status (TPS) for those from the Caribbean island plays out. “I think the policy to revoke that is wrong,” DeWine told host Margaret Brennan on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” “I think...

The Hillabout 2 hours ago
Iranian foreign minister says US deal is still 'quite possible'
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that a nuclear deal with the U.S. is still “quite possible” after recent tension with the Americans. “Well, you said on Friday that you would have a draft proposal within two to three days. Have you gotten the supreme leader to sign off on that proposal yet? And...

The Hillabout 2 hours ago
Trump wages a war on truth, promoting fake history and fake science
President Trump is attempting to replace factual information about American history and the environment with false narratives, leading to censorship of displays and signage about slavery, Native American land seizures, and climate change in national parks and other federal sites.

The Hillabout 3 hours ago
Why Stephen A. Smith could be the next president
Stephen A. Smith's potential presidential run could bring a much-needed authentic voice to the Democratic Party, offering a powerful story of overcoming poverty and a directness that could resonate with a disillusioned electorate.