Although Apple documents what this does in terms of user features, I’ve been unable to locate any technical account explaining how this works. It’s a well-known feature of Photos that it performs image analysis to identify people and other features. As that hasn’t happened, the best assumption is that Apple hasn’t, for the time being at least, implemented that scheme, and there’s no evidence to suggest anything different. That was never the case: Apple was proposing to check images being uploaded to iCloud using iPhotos or Photos, and as a result of the outcry, it announced that it would revise its proposals and consult again at a later date.

Like so many contentious issues there was widespread misunderstanding and misinterpretation of what Apple was proposing, and a lot of people came away with the belief that macOS would soon (if not already) be scanning images stored on their Mac in a bid to detect those containing CSAM. Much of the current climate of suspicion over Apple and images stems from what in retrospect was a misguided attempt to consult openly about changes Apple had intended to introduce a year ago in Monterey, to scan for images containing CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material). This article looks at the reality behind that fear. A few hours later, it turned out the whole thing was a false alarm, but by then it was clear that many Mac users believe that Apple scans images on your Mac. A few days ago, there was a wave of panic following a report that macOS had scanned a QR code in an image and accessed the link encoded within it.

Document scanner for mac el capitan