Apple will begin scanning iCloud items that users make available to anyone with a link, checking that content for what the company calls harmful content. The change takes effect with version 27.3 of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS, Apple said in a support document. The policy applies to items shared through the Anyone with the Link permission in those versions and later.
According to the support document, first reported by 9to5Mac, content shared that way is made accessible to Apple so the company can check it for harmful content. Apple has not defined what qualifies as harmful content under the policy. The document also states that sharing an item through the Anyone with the Link setting means it is no longer end-to-end encrypted.
Apple said it reserves the right to move, refuse, modify, remove or delete any harmful content a user tries to upload. The company may also block or disable accounts and prevent a user from creating a new account. Apple said it may involve law enforcement if necessary.
The new approach follows calls from protesters for Apple to crack down on child sexual abuse material stored in iCloud. Apple’s document does not tie the policy to a specific category of content beyond the phrase harmful content.
Apple released the first developer betas of 27.3 on the day before the support document was reported. The company has said it plans to release iOS 27.3 in December.
The policy covers the company’s flagship platforms, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro, all of which are sold in the US market. For US users who rely on iCloud links to pass files to people outside their own devices, the change means those shared items fall outside end-to-end encryption and can be reviewed by Apple.
The support document does not describe how the checking is performed or what happens to content Apple determines is harmful beyond the enforcement options it lists.
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