Under the AVG, it is not permitted to monitor images, as Apple plans to do in the United States. Kager of consultancy firm ICTRecht recently said this to BNR Nieuwsradio. The agency's director of quality points out that it is not Apple's job to scan images for child abuse because that is a job for police and other investigative agencies.
"In Europe, we're stuck with the AVG, as it stands it puts a stop to this for the simple reasons that this is not Apple's job," Kager said. In the United States, the company wants to control photos uploaded to iCloud Photos. The same goes for images received and sent by underage iMessage users.
Although Apple may not deploy the technology in accordance with the AVG, the company could enable it in Europe, as regulators enforce after the fact. Another option, according to Kager, is to create new regulations. "A private organization that helps with enforcement, like Apple, could, but that would require legislation. Everyone agrees that something needs to be done about this. The only question is whether that should be done with Apple." Critics point out that the technology could also be used for other purposes.
