Apple expands iMessage nudity blurring feature to UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia

Apple is rolling out a communications safety feature that scans iMessages for nudity, and a few months after launching it in the United States, the feature is expanding to devices in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

Unlike the controversial on-device photo evaluation feature, this feature will automatically blur potentially harmful images in messages sent or received on devices owned by children.

How the feature works depends on whether the child receives or sends nude images. Otherwise, the child will be directed to a safety resource on the Child Safety Team and the received image will be blurred. Nudity in photos sent by young users will trigger a warning suggesting that the image should not be sent.

The feature is privacy-focused and is available only on an opt-in basis. It must be enabled by a parent. All nudity detection is done on-device, meaning any potentially sensitive images never leave the iPhone.

Apple first announced the Communications Safety feature, a suite of features designed to provide better safety mechanisms for children. The suite includes a system that scans photos for child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

CSAM scans have multiple privacy mechanisms and are based on known potentially abusive material provided by child safety organizations, and users’ images are never viewed.

Still, Apple faced backlash and said it was delaying the feature until further notice.