Apple Enables Enhanced Visual Search Without User Consent, Raises Privacy Alarms

Apple has introduced a new feature called ‘Enhanced Visual Search’ for Photos on iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia 15 that analyzes data from your images for better search functionality. This feature, recently discovered by developer Jeff Johnson, is turned on by default.

When you dive into the settings, you’ll see the option for ‘Enhanced Visual Search’ that allows your device to discreetly compare places in your photos with a global index managed by Apple. This way, you can easily search for any landmarks or points of interest captured in your pictures.

It’s worth noting that there are only two documents on Apple’s site that mention this feature. The first one, a legal note, explains how Enhanced Visual Search works, assuring users that Apple uses encryption and privacy measures to protect image data and prevent access to your personal information.

On the technical side, Apple details its process in a Machine Learning Research blog post titled “Combining Machine Learning and Homomorphic Encryption in the Apple Ecosystem.” The post delves into how Apple uses machine learning models on your device to identify landmarks and then securely match them to a global image index on Apple’s servers.

Despite Apple’s efforts to safeguard user data, some users may be concerned about the privacy implications of this feature, especially since it contradicts Apple’s famous “What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone” motto.

If you’re uncomfortable with this feature, you can easily disable it on your device. For iPhone users, head to the Settings app, find Photos, and then toggle off ‘Enhanced Visual Search’. Mac users can disable it by going to the Photos app, then Settings, General, and finally Enhanced Visual Search.

So, if you’re not a fan of your device sharing data from your images with Apple, feel free to take control and turn off the Enhanced Visual Search feature on your device.