Independent research firm sued by Apple now wants to help vet the phone maker’s child sexual abuse scanning system

Last week, Apple announced what is essentially its own version of PhotoDNA. However, one key difference caused an uproar among privacy advocates. Instead of simply scanning its own servers, called iCloud, Apple employed a high tech and byzantine system that it calls NeuralHash so that the matching process happens on Apple devices, and not in the cloud. By doing so, Apple says it is not able to see users’ photos, until they reach a threshold of 30 matching photos.