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Kojack, another commentor on the 9to5 article, noted that “Apple has been doing this for years with all of their products. They want you to use it how THEY see fit.” Memories slideshows are made using machine learning, a field of artificial intelligence that uses data and algorithms in an attempt to imitate the ways humans think. Though this technology is remarkably adept at certain tasks, it can also struggle with more nuanced forms of assessment. When curating personal photographs, an algorithm may fail to recognize the aspects of an image that imbue with it meaning. A personal connection to a photograph is not easily represented through metadata. Our feelings about certain photographs may also change throughout our lives, and this cannot be adequately reflected by a one-size-fits-all algorithm. Should we really expect a technology like Apple Memories to identify the important photographs we wish to remember and exclude those we would rather forget? Preventing unwelcome encounters with potentially triggering or offensive content can be seen as a form of censorship. But debates in this space are usually centred around restricting access to content produced by others. This development forces us to consider a scenario where we may be blocked from accessing content that we ourselves have produced. Controlling access Though this stop-gap solution may succeed in preventing upsetting or inappropriate representations of the Holocaust from appearing in the Memories feature, it raises concerns surrounding Big Tech’s reach into our personal lives and experiences. In the wrong hands, automated systems like Memories could identify and limit access to photographs of all kinds. For example, a similar measure could one day block users from accessing photographic evidence of violence or wrongdoing. Because the Memories feature is included in Apple’s Photos app, it has a far-reaching ability to shape how users interact with their personal photographs. This means it can influence not only what content users are encouraged to remember, but when and how they are invited to remember it. Apple’s ability and willingness to omit this important history warrants serious consideration, and highlights the need for greater oversight and regulation of tech companies. Geotags — metadata that contained information about location — were used to identify the sites of photos. Image by David Boca,Unsplash