Apple drops end-to-end encryption for public links to scan iCloud files
Because nothing says 'privacy first' quite like reading your public folder contents, Apple has decided to inspect shared files starting with version 27.3 updates.
Starting with version 27.3 updates across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, Apple is officially disabling end-to-end encryption for any file shared via the 'Anyone with the link' option. Once a link is generated for public access, the contents become fully open to automated inspection by the company for so-called harmful materials.
While the exact definition of this harmful content remains comfortably vague in the documentation, the shift arrives as a direct response to mounting social pressure regarding illicit media circulating in cloud storage. The corporation explicitly reserves the right to move, reject, modify, delete, or completely obliterate any violating files discovered during these routine digital patrols.
Furthermore, offenders risk immediate account termination, blacklisting from creating future accounts, and potential referrals to law enforcement agencies if the digital contraband is deemed severe enough. Developer betas are already circulating in the wild, with the final public rollout scheduled for December.
The eternal struggle between absolute digital privacy and corporate content moderation hits another milestone where convenience officially costs the user their cryptographic armor. It turns out the cloud was never just a metaphor for fluffy vapor, but rather a giant glass house with a corporate inspector permanently stationed inside.
Source: Apple Support
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