I agree, and there really need to be controls on it. I understand they want the "IMessage Network" to have predictable functionality, but I care about security more, and IMessage has been demonstrably unsafe for a long time.
I would really prefer to keep it text-only, and am fine with the goofy symbols. If they want to make photo exchange safe, they have the hardware to securely sign images taken on-device and only allow those.[1] (Although that would probably piss off regulators even more.)
[1] With some work, this could be a new feature, used to demonstrate images haven't been altered. With some lockdown of the clock, it could have secure timestamps. (Location could still be spoofed with a GPS hijack.)
I would really prefer to keep it text-only, and am fine with the goofy symbols. If they want to make photo exchange safe, they have the hardware to securely sign images taken on-device and only allow those.[1] (Although that would probably piss off regulators even more.)
[1] With some work, this could be a new feature, used to demonstrate images haven't been altered. With some lockdown of the clock, it could have secure timestamps. (Location could still be spoofed with a GPS hijack.)