1610, 2024

DeepSec 2024 Talk: Insights on Client-Side Scanning and Alternatives in the Fight Against Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation – Carolyn Guthoff

Sanna/ October 16, 2024/ Conference/ 0 comments

Content Warning: This talk may include mention of child sexual abuse and exploitation. In this talk, we want to summarize our research into Client-Side Scanning (CSS) and follow-up work on safety in end-to-end encrypted messaging concerning sexual risks. Client-Side Scanning (CSS) is discussed as a potential solution to contain the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). A significant challenge associated with this debate is that stakeholders have different interpretations of the capabilities and frontiers of the concept and its varying implementations. In the current work, we explore stakeholders’ understandings of the technology and the expectations and potential implications in the context of CSAM by conducting and analyzing 28 semi-structured interviews with a diverse sample of experts. We identified mental models of CSS and the expected challenges. Our results show the CSS is often

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2510, 2021

DeepSec 2021 Press Release: Organized Espionage on Digital Devices. DeepSec Conference Warns: Searching for “Forbidden” Data on Clients Compromises Information Security.

Sanna/ October 25, 2021/ DeepIntel, Press

A basic principle of information security is access control. We are all used to the fact that data is only available to people and systems with the right authorizations. The discussion about the search for prohibited image files on Apple systems sparked the discussion about the so-called Client-Side Scanning (CSS) technology. Searching for specific content past access restrictions has always been an appealing shortcut. It is now clear that CSS leads to serious problems that endanger the basis of information security and do not bring the hoped-for benefits. Instead, there are additional security loopholes. Search of end devices Lately, the EU Commission and law enforcement authorities have repeatedly addressed the issue of circumventing secure encryption. In mathematical terms, we cannot carry strong encryption out without stored duplicate keys or deliberately weakening the technologies used.

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