Apple sets themselves apart from the competition by constantly campaigning and advertising their system as the most secure and private on the market. During most launches and keynotes, the underlying message has been privacy. 

With Apple’s widely publicized history of being the trailblazer in privacy by rolling out new systems which hide your email and information from companies whose sole purpose is to sell people’s information, the level of confidence is hard to alter. Despite this storied history, many customers and consumers of Apple’s products are wondering if the CSAM system is violating their privacy.  

“Your Apple ID and all Apple services are designed from the ground up to protect your privacy. We work hard to collect only the data we need to make your experience better. When we do collect data, we believe it’s important for you to know what we’re collecting and why we need it, so you can make informed choices,” Apple said in a statement. 

Although there is a wide variety of opinions on this new policy, Ghazouli expressed how many users will not see any change in their device. 

“To me, it doesn’t really seem like your average person will notice any change when they are on their Apple device. It seems like the only people who should be worried are the ones who have done something wrong,” Ghazouli said.  

Apple has taken a lot of time to consider its effect on consumers and has been explicitly open about how the system will work and the probability of an image being flagged by the CSAM system. 

The importance of the system is to stop the spread of child exploitation and increase child safety on the constantly growing internet world also supports the need for procedures like CSAM.

Companies have struggled with finding the right way to help the internet become a better place while making sure the consumer’s private information is kept entirely confidential. 

Child sexual abuse, any sexual activity by an adult, adolescence, or another child, is a hapless and common reality in today’s society. Child sexual abuse does not restrict to one demographic but is universal to various races, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds, affecting millions of children worldwide. 

There are two main types of child sexual abuse, touching and non-touching. Touching sexual abuse includes touching a child’s genitals, making a child touch someone else’s genitals, etc. Non-touching abuse includes showing pornography to a child, prostitution or trafficking a child, exposing a person’s genitals to a child, or photographing a child in sexual activities. 

For both types of child sexual abuse, the most common predators are known to the victim, including family members, friends, coaches, etc. In a 2003 National Institute of Justice report, it has been found that around 75% of victims that were sexually abused knew their abuser. 

There are endless effects on child sexual abuse, affecting each individual differently. Shelley Bustamante, the leader of Students Offering Support at Carlmont, went into detail on the impact of child sexual abuse.

“The psychological effects include but are not limited to PTSD, depression, dissociative disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorder, and suicidal ideation,” Bustamante said. 

Although all children are at risk for child sexual abuse, females, children with low self-esteem, children from single-parent households, and children in third world countries are more at risk for child sexual abuse. 

With sexual abuse, clinical experience and research have shown that time alone does not heal traumatized children. Although each individual is different, their psychological trauma can diminish their self-esteem, personality, and quality of life if not treated properly. 

With the expansion of technology in today’s society, children are at a higher risk of being in contact with sexual predators and being sexually exploited because of the little regulations large social platforms have. 

Apple is taking a step forward in solving these issues and allowing children to stay safe online. With Apple having a large consumer base and impact on society, hopefully, this will lead to more companies changing their policies to help protect children, which would have a positive effect on child abuse and the spread of CSAM.

“I think other companies will definitely start to consider implementing similar policies because I feel like once Apple does it and everyone gets used to it, it’ll be a lot easier for them to do it as well,” Ghazouli said. 

Apple is looking to make a safer future for the next generations of children and with this new policy, Apple is providing a safe environment and ecosystem for children and parents.