Saturday, August 24, 2013

Apple Allows Police new ability to disarm your phones from taking video

from myfoxhouston.com
Apple has patented technology that would allow your cell phone camera to be disabled in certain locations. According to the patent application, it would be used in places like concert venues and movie theaters, but others worry that law enforcement will use it to prevent people from recording police activity.

"It presents a lot of problems." says attorney Carmen Roe. "I mean the first problem that comes to mind is the transparency we now have to what law enforcement is doing on our streets. "

She says government use of the technology would also violate the First Amendment, and well as deprive people access to their private property without a warrant.

"The technology exists." Says Juan Guevarra Torres with E-novvations Technology and Marketing." He says the technology wouldn't affect other brands. "I don't think it's possible. I think you would have to be able to control the operating system, hence only Apple products would be effected.

Tech bloggers disagree how it would work. Some say it would be an infrared signal that would disabled phones it detected that had the technology embedded in it, others think it would be like a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. Regardless says Retired FBI Special Agent in Charge Don Clark, it's a bad idea. "We can develop in this country almost anything we want. We have the ability to do that but do we really want to?"

1 comment:

  1. The headline is misleading. While Apple has patented this idea, there is no evidence that this feature has been actually implemented or that there are any plans to do so. (Apple owns plenty of patents that it has never used.) They may even hold on to it just in order to sue anyone else that tries it. That would be a good thing.

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