Apple will begin checking iCloud content shared through “Anyone with the Link” for harmful material in iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS 27.3 or later. The company’s new support document says items shared this way will be accessible to Apple for review.
The change applies to public links for photos, files and other iCloud content, not items shared only with people a user specifically invites or approves. Apple also says that content shared through an “Anyone with the Link” URL is no longer end-to-end encrypted, even when the owner or participants have Advanced Data Protection enabled. The link remains accessible to anyone who has it, including Apple.
Apple has not detailed what it considers harmful content. Its support document says it may move, refuse, modify, remove or delete flagged material, and may block or disable an Apple Account, prevent a new account from being created with the associated email address or phone number, or contact law enforcement when necessary.
The policy is separate from Apple’s ongoing legal dispute over encrypted iCloud data in the United Kingdom, where the company challenged an order seeking access to protected backups.
The earlier case concerned encrypted data access, while the new policy applies to content users deliberately share through public links. Apple’s UK challenge over encrypted iCloud data was reported in August.
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