Expert Cites iOS 18 and macOS 15 as Data Privacy Breachers
In the fall, Apple released a completely new iOS 18 with Apple Intelligence and other useful features. However, the company still hid some details from users, says developer and expert Jeff Johnson.
The IT specialist is sure that the Enhanced Visual Search feature, which appeared in Photos with the release of the new version of iOS 18 and on macOS Sequoia, can track users. He was prompted to this idea by the description on the Apple website:
Enhanced Visual Search in Photos allows you to search for photos using landmarks or points of interest. Your device privately matches places in your photos to a global index Apple maintains on our servers. We apply homomorphic encryption and differential privacy, and use an OHTTP relay that hides IP address. This prevents Apple from learning about the information in your photos.
In addition, Apple did not indicate the new feature in the release notes. It was enabled by default, although the documentation says that the user can disable it at any time. Jeff Johnson himself discovered the new item in the settings by accident.
The developer criticized Apple in his own blog, pointing out that the company violates the privacy of users' data. He is sure that the company does not maintain a high enough level of IT security to process data from devices on its own servers. This is evidenced by numerous errors in Apple software.
Earlier, Apple released a new version of iOS 18 with new features and improvements.
