Odinian Beta

Apple announced recently that is trialling technology that will automatically scan the photos you save on your Mac or iPhone for illegal images of minors and then alert authorities if it finds something suspicious.

While illegal photos of minors should be deplored and those who take or store them punished to the full extent of the law, I think this raises serious questions about privacy and where Apple intends to take this technology.

Unfortunately, based on their recent actions, the tech giants including Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Twitter cant be trusted to not let their left-wing ideology govern how they use their technology.

For example, Amazon is refusing to stock books that raise valid questions such as whether a six-year old should be allowed to have surgery to change their sex without their parents having any say in the matter.

We have also seen book publisher Simon & Shuster refuse to publish a book by Missouri Senator Josh Hawley because he had the temerity to challenge the results of the 2020 Presidential election, despite Democrats doing the same in 2000, 2004 and 2016.

As for Youtube, owned by Google, it doesn’t allow anyone to post videos disagreeing with the “experts” when it comes to questions as to whether lockdowns should be imposed or where the virus may have originated.

We have also seen a concerted effort by Google to change its algorithm to discriminate against conservatives and those who support Trump.

And finally, Apple itself kicked free speech app Parler off its app store earlier this year, justifying its actions on Parler’s failure to moderate posts calling for violence, even though most of the organisation of the January 6 riot was done on Facebook or Twitter.

Of course, Trump himself is no longer on social media, for the simple reason that he used it too effectively and the tech giants including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube don’t agree with his politics. So they came up with ridiculous excuses to ban him.

Track record of intolerance

Given their long history of letting their left-wing views influence their actions, please forgive me for being cynical over Apple’s use of this technology.

Will Apple expand the use of this technology to scan your photos of people attending a Trump rally? Will it then send the photos to their employers to have these people fired?

You might think this is beyond satire but this is precisely what is happening with people who trawl social media for photos of people “living while conservative” – whether it is supporting Trump, believing immigration should be reduced, believing the borders should be controlled and so on – and then contacting their employers and pressuring them to be fired.

Yet there was no similar treatment for the thugs and criminals who rioted through America’s major cities during the summer race riots. Instead, Apple et al applauded these thugs for their destruction, murder, arson and so on.

Unfortunately, as you can see, Apple and the other tech giants are becoming increasingly radical and intolerant of those who disagree with their far left views.

So while Apple appears well-intentioned, this step should be regarded with extreme caution as to where it may lead down the track.