How does this fit within what Apple has stated will be the operating procedure for this scanning?

I don't know. But if the answer is "we won't snoop your browser cache", then people will quickly learn to store offending material under browser caches. Then Apple will have to start scanning browser caches. There is no policy fix for this; pedophiles aren't stupid.

Absolutely no one involved -- no one who conceived of this effort, no one who implemented it, and no one who defends it -- was under the impression that you couldn't get around this by not storing your images on iCloud. The idea is that it will catch pedophiles who aren't careful or tech-savvy enough, and such people exist, trust me. I suspect pedophiles aren't especially smarter than average, and most normal people aren't even going to be aware something like this exists.

This is already possible with PhotoDNA. When has it happened?

Your browser cache is not being synced to iCloud; Apple doesn't see it. So no, it is not currently possible.

I'm not talking about Apple, I'm saying in general technology has already been deployed to make what you're describing possible. So where's the evidence of abuse?

No vendors are snooping your phone/computer browser cache, so this attack vector does not yet exist. Apple is building it.

> No vendors are snooping your phone/computer browser cache

a) That you know of b) Apple won't be doing this either

> Apple is building it.

No, they aren't.