>... to address the CSAM issue lest governments come down on them hard.

And I think that is the springboard of why this is happening.

It's no secret that Apple has lobbyists which by turns have a "pulse" on the trajectory of Bills in the House and Senate.

What immediately came to mind to me was H.R.485 of 2021's House Session:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/485/...

My (layperson) estimation is that Apple knows the rewording of it is liable pass both House/Senate in some way either in the 2022 or 2023 sessions and are attempting to get ahead of the issue. (most likely as a "rider" bill at this point)

That's my thought process on what may have precipitated Apple's move toward "CSAM"; and I welcome it in some ways (unequivocally, children should not be subjected to sexual abuse) and am wary of it in others (ML is in its infancy in too many respects, and if a false-positive arises who's to say what's liable to happen on the Law Enforcement level).

There are infinitely many concerns to be discussed on both sides of this argument, and I want both to succeed in their way. CSAM, however, feels like an attempt to throw a blanket over Apple's domains-of-future-interests while playing an Altruism Card.

One thing is certain, though: they've opened the floodgates to these discussions on an international level...