Apple Urged By Shareholder To Combat Chile Sexual Abuse Material While It Fields Privacy Concerns

Apple Inc. AAPL investor Christian Brothers Investment Services has urged the tech giant to take action on child sexual abuse material (CSAM) videos, according to a report by Bloomberg.

What Happened: Fund manager Jeff McCroy sent a letter to Apple in August, pressing the Cupertino-based company to take a tougher stance on CSAM videos, as per the report.

McCroy’s firm reportedly owned $271 million in Apple shares and debt as of August 31.

McCroy said in an interview with Bloomberg that companies should share artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and tools with one another to combat the potential rapid spread of abusive imagery in videos.

For years, McCroy’s firm has pushed companies like Apple, Verizon Communications Inc. VZ and AT&T Inc. T to do more to block child pornography, the report noted.

See Also: Apple Faces Protests Outside Retail Stores Over Privacy Concerns With iPhone CSAM Feature

Why It Matters: Apple said earlier this month it was delaying the introduction of new child safety features, including CSAM detection for iCloud Photos.

The company has faced widespread criticism over the CSAM feature internally and from other companies like Facebook Inc.-owned FB WhatsApp.

Security experts and privacy experts are worried that the new technology could eventually be expanded to scan phones for other prohibited content. It could also be used by authoritarian governments for mass surveillance, as per these experts.

Price Action: Apple shares closed almost 0.7% higher in Thursday’s trading at $142.83.

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