A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that accused Apple of failing to limit child sexual abuse material on iCloud, saying no law requires companies to identify and report such material.
The lawsuit, filed in December 2024 by two women using pseudonyms, said Apple had harmed child sexual abuse victims by introducing a design meant to protect children, then failing to put that design into effect or limit child sexual abuse material.
Apple had argued that it was protected by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which has long shielded companies from liability for content on their platforms.
“If lawmakers want to ensure that Apple and other companies address their role in the dissemination of” child sexual abuse material, they need to legally require it, the judge, Noël Wise of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, wrote in her dismissal. “Lawmakers can fix this problem that is contributing to the exploitation of children.”
The lawsuit, a proposed class action with a potential group of 2,680 victims, highlighted concerns that the privacy of Apple’s iCloud allows illegal material to be easily stored and shared on the service. Regulators have started paying attention.
In February, West Virginia’s attorney general sued Apple, claiming the company facilitated the spread of child sexual abuse material. In March, Kansas’ attorney general threatened to enforce local consumer protection law against Apple if the company did not safeguard iCloud from child sexual abuse material.
Apple declined to comment.
A lawyer for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Hillary Nappi, said the legal team was reviewing the ruling and evaluating its options. The lawsuit sought changes to Apple’s practices and more than $1.2 billion in damages from Apple.
Apple was sued before by victims over its role in the circulation of child sexual abuse material. In August 2024, a 9-year-old girl in North Carolina sued the company after strangers sent her child sexual abuse videos through iCloud and encouraged her to film and upload her own nude videos. That case was largely dismissed last year.
“It’s an extremely disappointing day for the thousands of victims who were a part of this case and who have been asking Apple for years to justify why they are making money off their sexual abuse being stored and shared on iCloud,” said Sarah Gardner, the founder of Heat Initiative, a child safety group that helped bring the lawsuit. “These victims deserve justice.”
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