Apple will begin checking publicly shared iCloud links for harmful content when the iOS 27.3 family of updates arrives in December, the company said in a support document published this week.
The change applies only to items shared with the "Anyone with the link" option in iCloud Photos and iCloud Drive. When that setting is used, the photos or files "will be checked by Apple for harmful content," according to the document cited by MacRumors, The Verge and 9to5Mac.
Apple does not define "harmful content" in the document. The company reserves the right to "move, refuse, modify, remove, or delete the content at any time." It may also block or disable the Apple Account involved. It may prevent creation of a new account with the same email or phone number, or involve law enforcement if necessary.
Content shared via "Anyone with the link" loses end-to-end encryption protection, even with Advanced Data Protection enabled, Apple notes. The "People you choose" sharing option is not affected.
The first developer betas for the 27.3 updates were released on Monday. Public release is expected in December.