Apple Hints Development of Apple GPT, May Halt iMessage and FaceTime Services in the U.K.
Apple has argued that the proposals would weaken protections such as end-to-end encryption enabling bulk surveillance and interception.
- Apple has threatened to remove services such as iMessage and FaceTime for users in the U.K. following the announcements of surveillance bill proposals.
- The U.K. government has been looking to update the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), which will make it mandatory for messaging services to gain clearance for security features from the Home Office.
Apple has warned the U.K. government that it would rather stop offering popular communication services such as FaceTime and iMessage rather than weaken its security features, following proposals to expand the powers of state agencies in terms of digital surveillance.
Apple has become the latest to protest against the upcoming changes to the U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Act, which many believe will make encryption-based protections ineffective. A key part of the change is the Online Safety Bill that will make it mandatory for companies to set up technology that would scan media content for child sex and terrorism-related material.
It would also need companies to get clearance from the Home Office for every security feature being released and potentially disabling such protections without informing the public. Essentially, companies offering such communication services would have to scan all transmissions, which is viewed as giving disproportionate power to government agencies in terms of message interception and surveillance.
Apple is pushing back against what it calls a bill that would compromise the privacy of all users. Apple faced similar issues in 2021 when it had to sue the Indian Government following regulations that would incorporate traceability mechanisms to identify the origin of specific information. This case is still ongoing.
While Apple is positioning itself as protecting user privacy, it continues to leave any message sent or received by non-Apple devices unencrypted, potentially leaving room for government surveillance.
See More: Apple’s Under Wraps Generative AI Program, Apple GPT, to Rival ChatGPT, Bard, and Others
Meanwhile, Apple is pushing to get a piece of the generative AI market with the development of its own chatbot, dubbed Apple GPT. This news has raised the company’s market value by $71 billion to $3.12 trillion.
Earlier this year, Apple banned the internal use of ChatGPT for its employees over concerns that sensitive data could be leaked. Instead, the company started a push to generate its own tech stack with several job postings related to AI and ML.
While most major tech companies have openly embraced AI technology in their portfolios, Apple has so far been silent on the subject, with senior company executives being conflicted about its progress with AI. Apple GPT is expected to be a major topic of discussion at the WWDC 2024.
What more do you think is next for Apple this year? Let us know your thoughts on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you!
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