Although offered on iOS 18 and macOS, the ‘Enhanced Visual Search’ feature recently proven to worry privacy conscious users is a new suite of AI powered improvements that relay the location of some of the landmark features users document with their camera. But it dependant upon the cloud based data processing makes some wonder whether Apple is committed to privacy.
Enhanced Visual Search works by embedding your photos into vectors and sending those to Apple’s servers, where the embedded images are compared to a database of landmarks. Based on the points you’ve selected, possible matches are then sent back to your device, where you can make landmark identification and search within your photo library. Apple says the data exchange was encrypted and anonymous, but critics say this contradicts a company which espouses a privacy-first philosophy.
The feature, discovered by developer Jeff Johnson buried in system settings, is the first indicator that they haven’t been very transparent about how they used the new data. Many users don’t know the feature even exists and only get teased by limited Apple references in a privacy notice and a technical blog post.
Enhanced Visual Search isn’t a great billboard from Apple as a firm champion of on device processing, or a firm champion in data privacy. ‘… if it goes to the cloud, it’s not private’, Johnson asserts of the dangers of data in the cloud. Even with encryption, the integrity of the system rests on flawless software, an assurance Apple has had a hard time keeping lately amid a rash of bugs and glitches.
It is possible to disable this feature if you’re not used to this feature. To navigate to Settings > Apps > Photos on iPhones and iPads, this is. In Photos on macOS, tap on Photos > Settings. Enhanced Visual Search shows how modern technology can come at the expense of privacy and convenience at the same time, and unlike Apple, it hasn’t responded yet to user concerns. For now, it’s up to users to consider if this feature squares with Apple’s privacy claim, but at the same time, do the potential risks to their own data outweigh the benefits.
