Repressive regime TODO list:
1: create a child safety organization, or require an existing one to accept your images
2: add images of the children of dissidents (or journalists, or leaders of other political parties), photoshopped to be sexually explicit
3: dissident iphones informs on them. Apple turns the information over to the authorities in the host country
4: if Apple pushes back, threaten iphone sales. Or just improve your doctoring.
5: if Apple plays along or doesn't complain, insist on the ability to detect terrorists, criminals, etc. Again, threaten iphone sales, allow Apple to keep the agreement secret.
This may only work once or twice, but it's worth a shot! If you make it to step 5, you have a really bespoke, beautifully designed, Apple managed intelligence apparatus. made with love in Cupertino.
Maybe this is an overly cynical take, and in addition to the cryptography they have rock-solid, audited governance and internal controls that would prevent it and/or insider abuse.
Maybe localities with real data privacy laws (EU) will be able to offer protections to their citizens with fines big enough Apple will begrudgingly agree, so that a repressive regime can't target their citizens as well as citizens in the host country.
Maybe this isn't a slippery slope to more exotic forms of surveillance, like scanning your contact list for pedophiles.