"Why You Should Stop Using iMessage After Shock iPhone Update"

That’s the headline being posted by Forbes.com (https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2021/08/07/apple-iphone-users-shock-imessage-update-after-security-warning/?sh=39fd73be7075)

It’s over-the-top dramatic to be sure.

Here’s the meat of the article that Forbes.com is referencing in EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation, https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/apples-plan-think-different-about-encryption-opens-backdoor-your-private-life)

"There are two main features that the company is planning to install in every Apple device. One is a scanning feature that will scan all photos as they get uploaded into iCloud Photos to see if they match a photo in the database of known child sexual abuse material (CSAM) maintained by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The other feature scans all iMessage images sent or received by child accounts—that is, accounts designated as owned by a minor—for sexually explicit material, and if the child is young enough, notifies the parent when these images are sent or received. This feature can be turned on or off by parents.”

Overall, the news looks very real. However, the headlines you will see are very damaging in the literal interpretation of the headlines.

So what this really means is that it is NOT as dramatic as it sounds. You do NOT have to stop using iMessages on the iPhone after the update - UNLESS you are taking nude photos of children or sexually explicit photos. Hence, don’t take any chances of that darling nude photo of your baby grandchild getting in your iPhone or Mac.

John R. Carter, Sr.