Apple’s plans to scan users’ devices raises Big Tech trust issues


Apple’s plan to scan customers’ phones and other devices for images depicting child sexual abuse generated a backlash over privacy concerns, which led the company to announce a delay.

Apple, Facebook, Google and other companies have long scanned customers’ images that are stored on the companies’ servers for this material. Scanning data on users’ devices is a significant change.

However well-intentioned, and whether or not Apple is willing and able to follow through on its promises to protect customers’ privacy, the company’s plan highlights the fact that people who buy iPhones are not masters of their own devices. In addition, Apple is using a complicated scanning system that is hard to audit. Thus, customers face a stark reality: If you use an iPhone, you have to trust Apple.

Specifically, customers are forced to trust Apple to only use this system as described, run the system securely over time, and put the interests of their users over the interests of other parties, including the most powerful governments on the planet.

Despite Apple’s so-far-unique plan, the problem of trust isn’t specific to Apple. Other large tech companies also have considerable control over customers’ devices and insight into their data.

What is trust?

Trust is “the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party,” according to social scientists. People base the decision to trust on experience, signs and signals. But past behavior, promises, the way someone acts, evidence and even contracts only give you data points. They cannot guarantee future action.

Therefore, trust is a matter of probabilities. You are, in a sense, rolling the dice whenever you trust someone or an organization.

Trustworthiness is a hidden property. People collect information about someone’s likely future behavior, but cannot know for sure whether the person has the ability to stick to their word, is truly benevolent and has the integrity – principles, processes and consistency – to maintain their behavior over time, under pressure or when the unexpected occurs.

Trust in Apple and Big Tech

Apple has stated that their scanning system will only ever be used for detecting child sexual abuse material and has multiple strong privacy protections. The technical details of the system indicate that Apple has taken steps to protect user privacy unless the targeted material is detected by the system. For example, humans will review someone’s suspect material only when the number of times the system detects the targeted material reaches a certain threshold. However, Apple has given little proof regarding how this system will work in practice.

Credit: Apple