(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)
Apple has long promoted itself as a champion of user privacy, famously declaring,“Privacy. That's Apple.” However, a recent report by developer Jeff Johnson raises questions about the company's privacy protocols. Johnson's findings reveal that a feature called 'Enhanced Visual Search', enabled by default on iPhones running IOS 18 and Macs powered by macOS Sequoia, may not align with Apple's strong privacy claims.
What is Enhanced Visual Search?
Enhanced Visual Search is designed to help users identify landmarks in their photos and provide contextual details. The feature works by analysing images stored on the device and identifying regions of interest (ROI), such as landmarks.
The process involves two stages:
On-device Analysis : A machine learning model scans photos locally to determine ROIs.
Data Sharing : Once an ROI is identified, the device generates a vector embedding-a numerical representation of the landmark-and shares this embedding with Apple.
While Apple does not gain full access to users' photo libraries, the feature effectively scans every photo in the gallery when enabled. This has led to concerns about the extent of Apple's access to personal data and whether users are adequately informed about such processes.
The feature is automatically enabled on devices running the latest software versions. Johnson's blog highlights this default setting as a potential privacy issue, suggesting users may unknowingly share data with Apple without explicit consent.
I tested this claim on an iPhone 16 Pro Max and found the Enhanced Visual Search option pre-enabled. While the feature's utility is undeniable, its default activation has raised questions about transparency and user control over their data.
Disabling Enhanced Visual Search
For users concerned about privacy, disabling Enhanced Visual Search is straightforward:
On iPhone : Open Settings; Navigate to Apps > Photos; Scroll down and toggle off Enhanced Visual Search.
By turning off this feature, users can prevent their devices from sharing vector embeddings with Apple.
Enhanced Visual Search showcases Apple's advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning. However, its default activation and the sharing of data, even in a limited capacity, have sparked a debate about privacy versus convenience.
Apple's strong privacy branding has set high expectations among users. Features like Enhanced Visual Search, while helpful, may challenge the balance between delivering advanced functionality and maintaining user trust.
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