ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Starting with iOS 27.3, Apple will monitor public links via iCloud.
- Only iCloud links marked “Anyone with the link” are affected.
- Apple may ban the accounts of users who violate its “harmful content” policy.
Be careful what you share in your iCloud. Apple has announced that it will monitor public iCloud links for harmful content — and potentially disable accounts that violate company policy.
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What is Apple looking for?
If you try to upload harmful content, Apple says it reserves the right to “move, reject, edit, remove or delete” your content at any time. In addition, Apple describes possible actions it can take, including:
- Block or disable your account
- Blocks the ability to create a new account with the associated email address or phone number.
- Laws involved
Apple’s announcement did not explain what “harmful content” means in practice. While there are obvious violations like drug sales and child sex abuse material, the vagueness of the new policy is concerning.
Limited access links are still secure
When an iCloud link is shared under the designation “Anyone with a link”, End-to-end encryption is removed, even if both parties have activated Advanced Privacy Protection, which allows Apple to see the content of the link.
If you choose “People you choose,” which limits access to users who have been invited or approved, the encryption will remain in place, and Apple won’t be able to see what you’re sharing.
The new policy does not provide for an appeals process if you believe your account or content has been wrongly flagged as harmful. However, Apple has a website that provides information on how to appeal for other reasons. So there’s a framework in place to push back if you think you’ve accidentally been caught in the dragnet.