This entire argument is a non sequitur and comes up like clockwork every time this issue is discussed. It's the metaphorical equivalent of saying "well someone could've snuck in through the open window. Let's just assume they did and leave the doors open as well".
How about instead we push back against Apple further shifting the Overton window on how acceptable it is for companies to run intrusive services on hardware we own?
It’s not a non sequitur. The comment is engaging with a series of rhetorical questions that imagine a slippery slope by observing that very little has changed about the trust model between iPhone users and their devices. If you are convinced Apple is slipping, then it is worthwhile to be able to answer how their position today is different than it was last month. That is of course a different question than whether their position last month was acceptable, and maybe people are realizing it was not.
As a concrete example, if you think the proposal introduces new technical risks, then if Apple announces they made a mistake and will instead scan entirely on the server, you may be satisfied. However, I’d argue that since no new technical risk has been introduced, your conclusions should not change.
I’d argue that the incorrect characterization of Apple’s announcement as scanning all the files on your phone with no control has shifted the Overton window more than what was actually proposed. Politicians who are none the wiser probably believe that’s what Apple actually built, even though it’s not.
I disagree - it's a distraction from the larger issue at hand.
> I’d argue that the incorrect characterization of Apple’s announcement as scanning all the files on your phone with no control
That's a strawman - few if any are arguing that the system will read all of your files out of the gate.
>since no new technical risk has been introduced,
This assumption doesn't reflect reality.
Introducing a brand new system built specifically for client-side scanning absolutely adds technical risks, if nothing else then by the sheer fact that it's adding another attack vector on your phone. Not to mention the fact that all it would take is a change in policy and a few trivial updates (a new event trigger, directory configs, etc) for this system to indeed scan any file on your device.
What is the larger issue? The entire chain starts off with a prediction of what will happen in the future. It sounds like the trend is the proposed larger issue.
How about instead we push back against Apple further shifting the Overton window on how acceptable it is for companies to run intrusive services on hardware we own?