Apple to scan iCloud links shared with anyone for harmful content
Files shared through Anyone with the Link will lose end-to-end encryption and go to Apple for review, even for users with Advanced Data Protection on.
Apple has said that from iOS 27.3 and matching 27.3 releases for iPadOS, macOS and visionOS, it will scan iCloud items shared with "Anyone with the Link" for harmful content. Files made accessible this way are handed to Apple for review and stop being end-to-end encrypted, even with Advanced Data Protection enabled. Apple's support document leaves "harmful content" undefined, though the move follows pressure from campaigners over child sexual abuse material stored in iCloud. Under the policy, Apple can move, refuse, modify, remove or delete offending uploads and may block accounts or contact law enforcement. The 27.3 builds are in developer beta, with public release planned for December, and it is unclear whether links created before the update will be covered.
Why it matters
The change means that a file shared by link is no longer private from Apple once it is published that way, and Apple will decide what counts as harmful content, a term its support document leaves undefined. Users who share widely will have to accept that their material can be reviewed, moved, removed or reported, and that accounts may be blocked. The 27.3 updates are still in developer beta with release planned for December, and it is not confirmed whether links created earlier will be covered, so users cannot yet tell how far the policy reaches.
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