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Posted by GlumWoodpecker 12/15/2025

UK to "encourage" Apple and Google to put nudity-blocking systems on phones(arstechnica.com)
50 points | 18 comments
pjc50 12/15/2025|
Having even one piece of mandatory unremovable software implies a whole chain of removed software freedom. Might be useful to dig into this and see who's pushing it - Lord Cass again?
crapple8430 12/16/2025|
> a whole chain of removed software freedom

Indeed. But this already has happened for most people. All non-jailbroken iphones and most Androids cannot have their bootloader unlocked, and even if they can, the stuff you can run is often still substantially controlled by Google.

Though in theory this can also be done without involving the OS at the device driver level. It's not hard to imagine a CNN running inside your display controller to detect a bbox and blur out the nudity. It'd still suck and be a middle finger to the owner, but I don't feel like this is much worse than what's already there. Given the popularity of porn, I can easily imagine this sparking a general public sentiment against all this nonsense.

gherkinnn 12/15/2025||
These puritan clowns would first need to define what constitutes "nudity". But then this entire endeavour is just another pretext to increase digital control. The ambiguity of "nudity" only helps their cause.
cwmoore 12/16/2025|
Maybe, you know it when I see it?
netsharc 12/16/2025||
I wonder if tattooing the EURion constellation (1) near my genitals would prevent it from being photographed.

Or, if it would break face recognition systems... (the one tattooed near the face)

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EURion_constellation

Fricken 12/15/2025||
Not everything needs a software based solution. When it comes to nudity I believe that the best way to prevent the spread of nudity is to stop it at the source, right there at the genitals, with physical coverings. This way the nudity is blocked before it has the opportunity to become a victim of mass-dissemination.
crapple8430 12/16/2025||
Or better, at the destination. If we just blind everyone, nudity ceases to be a problem.
pyuser583 12/17/2025||
I really love this comment.
thisislife2 12/16/2025||
An offline AI system in the Camera app that detects when a subject is nude, and educates teenagers of the law and consequences of taking and sending nude photos (through a simple pop-up - "Do you still want to take a nude photo? Yes. No), maybe a good idea. If a user ignores the pop-up and take a nude snap of themselves, for whatever purpose that's their right (and their own problem). There's only so much "nannying" people can do with teens and government can do to us adults.
_aavaa_ 12/16/2025|
How long until said system then is mandated to detect csam in real time and submit a report wherever you take a photo of what it thinks is csam?
thisislife2 12/18/2025||
Anything can be politically abused if we, the people, aren't vigilant and allow it to be abused. It doesn't mean we should avoid common sense solutions, just because at some point, some autocrat will abuse it.
ChrisArchitect 12/15/2025||
Source: https://www.ft.com/content/0ef79775-eadf-4cc9-b32c-e97b0eff8... (https://archive.ph/Vrw4i)
breakloop 12/16/2025||
“prevent any nudity being displayed on screen" - full stop? So, constant real-time scanning of whatever is displayed on screen? Are they stupid?
hulitu 12/18/2025|
> Are they stupid?

No. They just want to see everything you do. Because, they will need telemetry to assess "usage". And to protect against terrorist. And to protect the children (while storing their pictures in a remote database). And...

metalman 12/16/2025||
the first line

"prevent phones from displaying nude images except when users verify that they are adults"

first were citizens, then consumers, and now users*

*terms and conditions apply, and will be changed at any time, click I agree to continue

darubedarob 12/15/2025||
Well cant have penetration scaring the people, unless its london
t23414321 12/16/2025|
Fat bodies in cold country.