Apple will check shared iCloud links for ‘harmful content’

Apple will begin screening shared iCloud links for "harmful content" starting with iOS 27.3 and subsequent updates, the company has announced. When users share an item accessible via a link in version 27.3 or later of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, Apple will be able to examine the content for potential harmful material. A support document explains that sharing an item with "Anyone with the Link" permissions will no longer provide end-to-end encryption, and Apple reserves the right to take various actions against users who upload such content.

These actions may include moving, refusing, modifying, removing, or deleting the content, blocking or disabling accounts, preventing users from creating new accounts, or even collaborating with law enforcement if necessary. Apple has launched the first 27.3 developer betas and plans to release iOS 27.3 in December.