More than 90 groups signed a letter demanding Apple cease rollout of its CSAM scanning tool, citing the potential for misuse. The continued pressure could stand as a major inflection point in Apple’s brand history.

Outspoken employees fear governments could use the company’s CSAM scanning tools for censorship. Apple assures the public it has safeguards in place, but controversy over the features risks tarnishing its reputation as an industry leader on privacy.

Apple plans to introduce software to detect child abuse content locally on an iPhone or Mac. Privacy and security advocates say the plan could tarnish Apple’s reputation as the vanguard of consumer privacy and bulwark against government anti-encryption efforts.