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This story is part of it Apple Event, our full coverage of the latest from Apple.
Apple says the iPhone 13 includes “integrated privacy from the beginning.” As proof of this commitment, the processing of voice commands and functions on the device to block third-party tracking was noted.
The features will be incorporated into iOS 15, which will be released on Monday. This means that most iPhone users will benefit from the upgrade, not just those who buy new smartphones.
For example, the new operating system provides voice recognition to your Siri device. This means that Siri voice requests do not allow your iPhone to be processed remotely. The smart tracking prevention feature also prevents crawlers from creating profiles using your IP address. Protecting email privacy also hides your IP address and prevents senders from knowing about your email activity, the company said.
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Apple unveils iPhone 13
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However, the launch of star devices on Tuesday skipped two significant issues that raise questions about Apple’s privacy practices. The company did not mention an urgent update to its operating systems that shut down an exploit that has already been used to target activists and journalists. Apple also thwarted its own plans to spy on users looking for child exploitation images on iPhones, Macs, iPads.
On Monday, Apple released security updates for its iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac computers that shut down an vulnerability exploited by invasive spyware built by NSO Group, an Israeli security company.
The solution comes from research done by The Citizen Lab, a public interest cybersecurity group that found that the phone of a Saudi activist had been infected with Pegasus, the NSO group’s best-known product. According to Citizen Lab, the zero-day, zero-click exploit against iMessage, which he called ForcedEntry, is targeted at Apple’s image rendering library and was effective against iPhones, laptops, and Apple Watches. company.
Apple says it is doubtful that exploitation poses a danger to most users, and has noted that any attack should be highly sophisticated and cost millions of dollars to develop. As a result, a cybercriminal would probably save it for use against a specific person.
However, Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto, expressed concern about the possible use of the farm. He determined that NSO was using the vulnerability to remotely infect devices with its Pegasus spyware, adding that the exploitation has likely been used since February. “We urge readers to immediately upgrade all Apple devices,” the group said.
Separately, Apple has faced retrieval of a now-postponed feature set designed to detect if people have child exploitation images or videos stored on their device. The features were initially intended to be included in iOS 15, iPad OS 15, WatchOS 8 and MacOS Monterey.
The function converts images into unique bits of code, known as hashes. The hashes are then checked with a database of known child exploitation content managed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. If a certain number of matches are found, Apple receives an alert and may decide to investigate.
Security experts and digital privacy groups, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future and Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), have denied the plan and protested Monday before the launch of the iPhone in front of a dozen stores of Apple.
In addition to joining corporate surveillance, the groups claim that the function would create a back door to consumer devices that could be exploited by authoritarian regimes and potentially endanger life.
Apple has not said when the feature will be released. On September 3, the launch was delayed to make improvements and fix privacy issues.
Apple’s fall launch, which went virtual again this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is usually the biggest company of the year. That’s when the company announces new iPhones, which account for about half of its revenue. Its formation from 2020, the iPhone 12, offered 5G and the first major design renewal since the 2017 iPhone X.
CNET’s Ian Sherr contributed to this report.