The Spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material on Apple’s Platforms
Apple is facing a lawsuit that accuses the company of not doing enough to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on its iCloud and iMessage offerings. The complaint, filed by a 9-year-old minor and her guardian, alleges that Apple knew about the problem but chose not to address it.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff received friend requests from two unknown Snapchat users who then asked for her iCloud ID. After providing it, the strangers sent five CSAM videos through iMessage, depicting young children engaged in sexual acts. They also asked the minor to make explicit videos. As a result, the plaintiff suffered severe harm and is currently seeking psychotherapy and mental health care.
The complaint accuses Apple of using the pretext of protecting privacy to “look the other way” while CSAM proliferated on iCloud. It points to Apple’s abandonment of the NeuralHash CSAM scanning tool as evidence of this. Apple launched NeuralHash in 2021 to scan for CSAM on iCloud but later dropped the project due to concerns about unintended consequences for user privacy.
The lawsuit argues that Apple is engaging in “privacy-washing,” a deceptive marketing tactic where the company claims to protect user privacy but fails to implement its ideas in practice. It also accuses Apple of underreporting CSAM to agencies like the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). While other tech companies submitted millions of CSAM reports to NCMEC, Apple only submitted 267.
A report by the nonprofit Heat Initiative found 93 CSAM cases involving Apple products, with most victims being under 13 years old. Out of these cases, 34 involved the use of iCloud to store and distribute CSAM. The lawsuit also cites a former child abuse investigator who claims that Apple does not proactively scan its products and services to assist law enforcement in countering child exploitation.
Apple’s insistence on user privacy is called into question in the lawsuit, which highlights the company’s transfer of iCloud Chinese users’ operations to a Chinese firm in 2018. This move compromised the privacy of anonymous Chinese citizens, contradicting Apple’s claims of prioritizing privacy.
The spread of CSAM on tech platforms is a widespread issue. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) released its “Dirty Dozen List,” which names Apple, Microsoft, and Meta as the top contributors to sexual exploitation. These companies are accused of prioritizing profit over preventing exploitation and enabling the proliferation of CSAM.
To address the problem, Senator Dick Durbin introduced the STOP CSAM Act, which holds tech companies accountable for CSAM. The act allows victims of child sexual exploitation to bring a civil cause of action against companies that host, store, or make available CSAM. It also empowers victims to request the removal of CSAM content from platforms and imposes penalties on platforms that fail to comply.
In conclusion, Apple is facing accusations of not doing enough to stop the spread of CSAM on its platforms. The lawsuit highlights concerns about user privacy, underreporting of CSAM, and the company’s actions in China. The issue of CSAM proliferation on tech platforms is a serious problem that needs to be addressed, and legislation like the STOP CSAM Act aims to hold tech companies accountable.
 on its iCloud and iMessage platforms. Learn about the plaintiff's experience, Apple's alleged inaction, and the abandonment of its CSAM scanning tool. Find out how the company's privacy claims are called into question, along with the wider issue of CSAM on tech platforms. Explore the proposed solution through the STOP CSAM Act, holding tech companies accountable for CSAM. Read more to understand the seriousness of the problem and the need for legislative action.){kind=link}