They're not invading the users' privacy. They have to comply with a lawful government order. This is allowing them to do that without violating users' privacy.
Apple has not been ordered by the government to scan user's images.
Because the scanning is happening without a warrant, if the government compelled apple to perform the search the search would be illegal. It is only legal for Apple to perform this search because it is in no way compelled by the government.
The government cannot obtain a blanket warrant against everyone. This kind of dragnet scanning has to be voluntarily performed by a private party for it to be lawful.
By all means! please prove to us that the government secretly has ordered Apple and other companies to scan users private data: If you do so it will result in overturning tons of convictions due to the unlawful searches which were concealed due perjury by the government and tech companies who have consistently claimed that the scanning by the tech companies is completely voluntary in in their own self interest.
They could make themselves unable to access any data and still comply with lawful orders. There's no rule that you have to preemptively design systems to make data extraction easier.
This planned system means less violation of privacy in cases where a warrant exists, and more violation of privacy where there is no warrant. That's not exactly an amazing tradeoff.
I don’t follow. This system is exactly what you’re describing. Apple is not able to access any of your data. The most they get access to is the signature of the file (which would already be matched with known CSAM content) and a potential thumbnail of the CSAM content.
