Apple has launched a feature on its iMessage platform that will allow children to report nude images and videos to the tech firm that would then bring it to the notice of law enforcement agencies.

The change is being rolled out first in Australia from Thursday (Oct 24).

The beta release is part of an update of Apple's operating system and extends the safety measures earlier given to users aged under 13 since iOS 17.

Watch: Shocking Rise In AI-produced Child Abuse Material

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Here is how the new feature aimed at further protecting user privacy will work:

The iPhones can automatically detect images and videos that contain nudity that children might receive or attempt to send in iMessage, AirDrop, FaceTime and Photos.

When such sensitive imagery is&nbsp;detected, the young users will be given intervention screens before they can proceed.

There will be options to contact a parent or guardian and to&nbsp;report the images and videos to Apple.

The device will then generate reports containing the visuals, as well as messages preceding and following the images and videos.

The report will include contact information of both the sender and receiver.&nbsp;

Users can fill out a form to explain what happened, which Apple will review.

Action such as disabling the users' ability to send messages through iMessage will follow. 
 
Apple can also report the issue to law enforcement agencies.

The tech giant said the feature will eventually be rolled out across the world after the beta test in Australia.

Australia was chosen as the first region in the wake of new rules being implemented in the country to crack down on controversial content on tech platforms and devices.

The new rules require companies to monitor child abuse and terror-related content on messaging and cloud services in Australia by the end of 2024.

While Apple maintains that the new features would&nbsp;protect end-to-end encryption and raised concerns about mass surveillance, the law has been softened a bit.

Yet, the&nbsp;Australian&nbsp;government insists that&nbsp;companies must&nbsp;take action to tackle child abuse and terror content.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-york-catholic-diocese-to-pay-323mn-to-530-child-sex-abuse-survivors-in-largest-diocese-bankruptcy-762507">New York Catholic diocese to pay $323mn to 530 child sex abuse survivors, in largest US diocese bankruptcy</a>

Apple has drawn criticism across the world over its reluctance to ease up on its end-to-end encryption to help law enforcement.

There was earlier a plan from Apple to scan photos and videos stored in its iCloud for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), but that was scrapped in late 2022 over privacy concerns.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/india-trumps-china-as-manufacturer-of-apples-most-expensive-iphone-pro-and-pro-max-models-751537">Also read: India trumps China as manufacturer of Apple's most expensive iPhone Pro and Pro Max models</a> 
 
In the UK, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children had accused Apple of vastly undercounting how often CSAM appears in its products, according to a report in The Guardian newspaper.

Apple reported only 267 cases of suspected CSAM on its platforms in 2023.

That's seen as a massive under-reporting when compared to Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, which submitted more than 30 million CSAM reports. 
 
Google sent nearly 1.5 million reports in the same period.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Apple has launched a feature on its iMessage platform that will allow children to report nude images and videos to the tech firm that would then bring it to the notice of law enforcement agencies.

Apple has launched a feature on its iMessage platform that will allow children to report nude images and videos to the tech firm that would then bring it to the notice of law enforcement agencies. The change is being rolled out first in Australia from Thursday (Oct 24). The beta release is part of an update of Apple's operating system and extends the safety measures earlier given to users aged under 13 since iOS 17. Watch: Shocking Rise In AI-produced Child Abuse Material × Here is how the new feature aimed at further protecting user privacy will work: The iPhones can automatically detect images and videos that contain nudity that children might receive or attempt to send in iMessage, AirDrop, FaceTime and Photos. When such sensitive imagery is detected, the young users will be given intervention screens before they can proceed. There will be options to contact a parent or guardian and to report the images and videos to Apple. The device will then generate reports containing the visuals, as well as messages preceding and following the images and videos. The report will include contact information of both the sender and receiver. Users can fill out a form to explain what happened, which Apple will review. Action such as disabling the users' ability to send messages through iMessage will follow. Apple can also report the issue to law enforcement agencies. The tech giant said the feature will eventually be rolled out across the world after the beta test in Australia. Australia was chosen as the first region in the wake of new rules being implemented in the country to crack down on controversial content on tech platforms and devices. The new rules require companies to monitor child abuse and terror-related content on messaging and cloud services in Australia by the end of 2024. While Apple maintains that the new features would protect end-to-end encryption and raised concerns about mass surveillance, the law has been softened a bit. Yet, the Australian government insists that companies must take action to tackle child abuse and terror content. Also read: New York Catholic diocese to pay $323mn to 530 child sex abuse survivors, in largest US diocese bankruptcy Apple has drawn criticism across the world over its reluctance to ease up on its end-to-end encryption to help law enforcement. There was earlier a plan from Apple to scan photos and videos stored in its iCloud for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), but that was scrapped in late 2022 over privacy concerns. Also read: India trumps China as manufacturer of Apple's most expensive iPhone Pro and Pro Max models In the UK, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children had accused Apple of vastly undercounting how often CSAM appears in its products, according to a report in The Guardian newspaper. Apple reported only 267 cases of suspected CSAM on its platforms in 2023. That's seen as a massive under-reporting when compared to Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, which submitted more than 30 million CSAM reports. Google sent nearly 1.5 million reports in the same period. (With inputs from agencies)

Now, children using iMessage platform can report nudity to Apple; feature rolls out in Australia

Have you ever sent an iMessage to someone and thought of deleting it but couldn't because it doesn't allow you to do so. Your wish of deleting those messages have finally been granted as in a happy news for all the iPhone users, iMessages can now be edited and deleted within 15 minutes of being sent. This feature will be made available after you update your phone to iOS 16.

iMessages can finally be edited and deleted within 15 minutes of being sent

A report published by security experts at Citizen Lab, a Canada-based cybersecurity watchdog, said it has detected "zero-day zero-click exploit against iMessage" which it calls "forcendentry" or "forced entry".&nbsp;

The mechanism targets "Apple’s image rendering library" and "was effective against <a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-takes-app-payment-hit-in-epic-court-fight-412259">Apple</a> iOS, MacOS and WatchOS devices", the watchdog said.

"Zero-click exploit" means spyware can be deployed without the person even clicking on a link or a file.

"We determined that the mercenary spyware company NSO Group used the vulnerability to remotely exploit and infect the latest Apple devices with the Pegasus spyware," it said. NSO is an&nbsp;Israeli software company.

The lab said "forcendentry" has been in use since February. It added that after discovering the vulnerability, the code was sent to Apple and the company has "assigned forcendentry vulnerability CVE-2021-30860".&nbsp;

Watch:

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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/apple-to-allow-developers-to-email-customers-about-payment-options-408878">Apple</a> has described it as “processing a maliciously crafted PDF may lead to arbitrary code execution”, the lab said in its report.

The lab discovered the issue while analysing a Saudi activist's phone which was reportedly infected with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nsos-notorious-pegasus-spyware-secretly-bought-by-police-in-germany-reports-411667">NSO</a> Group’s Pegasus spyware.

The researchers said unknown vulnerability affected all major Apple devices including Apple watches, Macs and iPhones. The NSO group in a statement said it will "continue to provide intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world with life-saving technologies to fight terror and crime."

Meanwhile, Apple in a statement said it was correcting the error "rapidly".&nbsp;

"Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals," the company said.

(With inputs from Agencies)

A report published by security experts at Citizen Lab, a Canada-based cybersecurity watchdog, said it has detected "zero-day zero-click exploit against iMessage" which it calls "forcendentry" or "forced entry".

A report published by security experts at Citizen Lab, a Canada-based cybersecurity watchdog, said it has detected "zero-day zero-click exploit against iMessage" which it calls "forcendentry" or "forced entry". The mechanism targets "Apple’s image rendering library" and "was effective against Apple iOS, MacOS and WatchOS devices", the watchdog said. "Zero-click exploit" means spyware can be deployed without the person even clicking on a link or a file. "We determined that the mercenary spyware company NSO Group used the vulnerability to remotely exploit and infect the latest Apple devices with the Pegasus spyware," it said. NSO is an Israeli software company. The lab said "forcendentry" has been in use since February. It added that after discovering the vulnerability, the code was sent to Apple and the company has "assigned forcendentry vulnerability CVE-2021-30860". Watch: Apple has described it as “processing a maliciously crafted PDF may lead to arbitrary code execution”, the lab said in its report. The lab discovered the issue while analysing a Saudi activist's phone which was reportedly infected with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware. The researchers said unknown vulnerability affected all major Apple devices including Apple watches, Macs and iPhones. The NSO group in a statement said it will "continue to provide intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world with life-saving technologies to fight terror and crime." Meanwhile, Apple in a statement said it was correcting the error "rapidly". "Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals," the company said. (With inputs from Agencies)

Apple's iMessage targeted by Pegasus spyware from Israeli firm NSO, says cybersecurity watchdog

The evergreen rivalry between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/apple">Apple</a> and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/facebook">Facebook</a>&nbsp;is back in the headlines with&nbsp;another allegation made by WhatsApp CEO against Apple Inc.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/whatsapp">WhatsApp</a>, owned by Facebook, CEO has alleged that Apple has been manipulating users and the company does not want anyone to use Android.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/this-iphone-trick-lets-people-snoop-on-others-private-conversations-367406" hreflang="en">This iPhone trick lets people snoop on others' private conversations</a>

"I assume it’s in Apple’s interest to have everyone using an iPhone, I mean, obviously, it is," WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart started his explanation.&nbsp;

Citing Apple's messaging service, Cathcart said the iMessage experience is better if everyone else has an iPhone, and therefore, Apple has been manipulating the users.

"And you look at a place like the US, most people have an iPhone, and the messaging experience works better on iMessage if everyone else has an iPhone."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/tiktok-lookalike-facebook-launches-new-app-bars-for-rappers-366736" hreflang="en">TikTok lookalike? Facebook launches new app, BARS, for rappers</a>

Leading his point he explained that he feels WhatsApp has been purposely downplayed by Apple. "It's certainly in their strategic interest that people not use something like WhatsApp because they want people to not use an Android phone," he explained.

"If people switch to something like WhatsApp or another service it’s easier for their friends to go back and forth between an iPhone or an Android," he said.

Talking about the privacy labels of Apple, Cathcart said he believes WhatsApp directly competes with iMessage — which, he believes, is more popular in the US.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whatsapp-announces-updated-policy-reiterates-committed-to-privacy-364903" hreflang="en">WhatsApp announces updated policy, reiterates 'committed to privacy'</a>

"You don’t see a label for iMessage when you download it because you don’t download it, it’s on your phone to begin with. And so, we were critical of that," he said.

Dishing out on Apple, he also revealed that he uses an Android phone, even though he has used an iPhone in the past.&nbsp;

"Well, I use an Android because if you look at WhatsApp’s user base, we are very Android heavy. I also use an iPad, I’ve used iPhones for many years, but I really want to actually use the product in the way most people are using it, so I use an Android. A lot of people use both or go back and forth because we’re building our products for both and you got to understand them all," he justified.

The evergreen rivalry between Apple and Facebook is back in the headlines with another allegation made by WhatsApp CEO against Apple Inc. WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, CEO has alleged that Apple has been manipulating users and the company does not want anyone to use Android.

The evergreen rivalry between Apple and Facebook is back in the headlines with another allegation made by WhatsApp CEO against Apple Inc. WhatsApp, owned by Facebook, CEO has alleged that Apple has been manipulating users and the company does not want anyone to use Android. Also read | This iPhone trick lets people snoop on others' private conversations "I assume it’s in Apple’s interest to have everyone using an iPhone, I mean, obviously, it is," WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart started his explanation. Citing Apple's messaging service, Cathcart said the iMessage experience is better if everyone else has an iPhone, and therefore, Apple has been manipulating the users. "And you look at a place like the US, most people have an iPhone, and the messaging experience works better on iMessage if everyone else has an iPhone." Also read | TikTok lookalike? Facebook launches new app, BARS, for rappers Leading his point he explained that he feels WhatsApp has been purposely downplayed by Apple. "It's certainly in their strategic interest that people not use something like WhatsApp because they want people to not use an Android phone," he explained. "If people switch to something like WhatsApp or another service it’s easier for their friends to go back and forth between an iPhone or an Android," he said. Talking about the privacy labels of Apple, Cathcart said he believes WhatsApp directly competes with iMessage — which, he believes, is more popular in the US. Also read | WhatsApp announces updated policy, reiterates 'committed to privacy' "You don’t see a label for iMessage when you download it because you don’t download it, it’s on your phone to begin with. And so, we were critical of that," he said. Dishing out on Apple, he also revealed that he uses an Android phone, even though he has used an iPhone in the past. "Well, I use an Android because if you look at WhatsApp’s user base, we are very Android heavy. I also use an iPad, I’ve used iPhones for many years, but I really want to actually use the product in the way most people are using it, so I use an Android. A lot of people use both or go back and forth because we’re building our products for both and you got to understand them all," he justified.

Apple doesn't want people to use Android, WhatsApp CEO alleges

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