It was released in December 2020 after protests in the US, and now Apple’s nude photo scanner is also making its way to Europe. In the UK, parents can enable parental controls on their children’s iPhones. Other countries are already on Apple’s list.

Apple

iPhone: nude photo scanner arrived in Europe

Apple’s controversial nude photo scanner for iMessage was delayed after protests by civil rights activists in the United States. A few months later, Apple also offers the scanner in Europe for the first time. Great Britain is the first, other countries are to follow. The group has not yet revealed whether and when Apple will also offer the service in Germany.

The nude photo scanner is aimed at concerned parents who can set it up on their kids’ iPhones. Once activated, the scanner checks incoming images in iMessage on nudity. If this is recognized, the photos can only be seen pixelated. According to Apple, the scan only takes place on the iPhones themselves. Neither parents nor Apple itself are notified of hits, it says (source: mirror).

it remains unclear what exactly Apple defines as “nudity.”. When the service was originally announced last fall, there was talk of “explicitly sexual photos,” which Apple later didn’t specify. In addition, according to Apple, it does not offer another possible function of the scanner, in which photos uploaded to the iCloud are automatically compared with a database on child abuse.

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Nude photo scanners in more countries

In addition to the US and UK, Apple also wants the scanner in Canada, Australia and New Zealand introduce. Apple has not given an exact date. The group also does not comment on a possible start in Germany.