And, like calling your bank about your credit card, one of the first options you hear--available 24/7--should be "to report a lost or stolen phone please press #". No dealing with the usual first-tier support drones for something like this.
Michael
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State and City Officials to Investigate Anti-Theft Practices of Cellphone Makers Following Summit
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Michael
Lawsuit? What laws are Apple, Samsung, HTC, etc breaking?
I'm glad Apple is taking a step in the right direction. Even if iOS 7 didn't have the new security features I still fail to understand what law the manufacturers are breaking.
I'm glad Apple is taking a step in the right direction. Even if iOS 7 didn't have the new security features I still fail to understand what law the manufacturers are breaking.
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Phone companies don't do nothing because they sale more phones because of theft phones.
It could be too easy for phone companies like Apple to stop theft, for example they coud do this:
1- Every iphone needs itunes at some time, also every iphone when activated sends information to Apple servers, if your iphone gets lost or stolen when you report it as lost in the lost my iphone page Apple could tell you exactly where it is giving you the location of the iphone or the IP of the last connection.
Apple has this information on their servers and they know exactly where is your stolen iphone because the iphone constantly connects to the Apple servers.
It is not difficult to know who is the first owner of the iphone because the fist time you register your phone with icloud and that info is also stored in the Apple servers.
Also iphones constantly send information to Apple servers, they could build a new feature that even if you delete everything in the iphone or install a new IOS version the information of the first owner keeps stored in the iphone for ever. The only way to remove this info could be that the first owner deletes this info when they sell or give the phone to a friend or a family member.
It could be too easy for phone companies like Apple to stop theft, for example they coud do this:
1- Every iphone needs itunes at some time, also every iphone when activated sends information to Apple servers, if your iphone gets lost or stolen when you report it as lost in the lost my iphone page Apple could tell you exactly where it is giving you the location of the iphone or the IP of the last connection.
Apple has this information on their servers and they know exactly where is your stolen iphone because the iphone constantly connects to the Apple servers.
It is not difficult to know who is the first owner of the iphone because the fist time you register your phone with icloud and that info is also stored in the Apple servers.
Also iphones constantly send information to Apple servers, they could build a new feature that even if you delete everything in the iphone or install a new IOS version the information of the first owner keeps stored in the iphone for ever. The only way to remove this info could be that the first owner deletes this info when they sell or give the phone to a friend or a family member.
Besides when technology companies take it upon themselves to be "police" you get the Digital Restrictions Mess that is Xbox One. I suppose Apple would LOVE to lock down iPhones so they could only be reactivated and transferred at Apple stores!!!! They'd happily charge $49 to transfer phones between accounts! Imagine all the new phones they could sell by rejecting the "transfer terms".
To tell the truth, its probably HIGHER levels of law enforcement that keep preventing a crackdown. As those phones are REPORTED STOLEN property, the FBI doesn't need sny warrants at all to pull up the current history, GPS, etc. that's got to be a gold mine for tracking drug dealers around the country. Worth way more that $300 to AT&T replacing the phone.
The problem is that girlfriends paying for a boyfriends phone bill will start doing that constantly... It would be abused with false accusations 10-1 in 90 days not to mention all the people reporting their broken phones stolen.
The "he said-she said" is just too much which is why telcos have probably stayed out of it. Besides. Telcos are the ones losing their $300+ subsidy on the thing. Stats are probably that the phones come back to the TELCO on prepaid plans (so more profit for them) so why totally block them? It's not like the police will rush right out to collect them when the telco identifies them... Or the phones would just get chopped for parts.
The same could be said about locking activation by Apple. If you have to worry about the fringe cases nothing would ever get done.
That said if a boyfriend has to rely on his girlfriend for a cellphone I'd say he has bigger issues to worry about.
Michael
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The headline should be: State and City Officials Blame the Private Sector for Their Law Enforcement Problems
Wow, wait, wtf? They want a switch, that allows someone that is not me to be able to brick my phone without me setting it up? I don't like the idea of a kill switch, and am happy just being careful with my iPhone. However a kill switch that I have no control over might be enough to get me to switch platforms. That is just uncool. If there is going to be a kill switch, it had better be optional on my part.
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Are you being sarcastic? Because aside from a few small details like providing the IP address, Apple either already provides those features, or will in iOS 7.
In a related probe, law enforcement is investigating why smartphone makers have not made it easier to find donuts. Although many apps exist, they require more than 3 taps to find a donut, which is against union policy.
People are being attacked and beaten for their phones, so no, leaving them lying around isn't the problem at all!
Sim chip removed on a password locked, still on, phone sends a flag, Possible stollen
Has any one ever noticed that you or a thief can completely (not just off in a standby state) turn off you iphone even though you are using a lock password.
This just totally defeats the find my iphone function which. You should not be able to shut the iphone totally off with out knowing the password .
I know that pulling the sim defeats this, but it just might buy you some extra time in trying to locate it before this happens or it might be a rookie thief that doesn't know any better. And if the iphone couldn't be shut off even with the sim chip out of it. (Sim chip removed on a password locked phone sends a flag,
Possible stollen)
Just an idea
Joeip
Has any one ever noticed that you or a thief can completely (not just off in a standby state) turn off you iphone even though you are using a lock password.
This just totally defeats the find my iphone function which. You should not be able to shut the iphone totally off with out knowing the password .
I know that pulling the sim defeats this, but it just might buy you some extra time in trying to locate it before this happens or it might be a rookie thief that doesn't know any better. And if the iphone couldn't be shut off even with the sim chip out of it. (Sim chip removed on a password locked phone sends a flag,
Possible stollen)
Just an idea
Joeip
Your reading comprehension is on par with your understanding of how a modern society operates. This has NOTHING to do with the federal government.
That's a huge risk for a company like Apple. If your iPhone gets stolen and you are still under contract, you can replace it with a very expensive non-subsidized iPhone, or you might start looking at unsubsidized phones from other manufacturers that are less expensive.
Apple might lose you as a customer forever if you find that the cheaper phone actually suits your needs.
I bet you were really pissed off when the government mandated cell phone number portability, too.
The simple fact that you can define laissez-faire doesn't mean it's a good idea.
Considering the top personal property item stolen has been smart phones for a while now and is on the rise it is a good thing to go after. Kills off the number one stolen item on the list. They are getting a big item.
It needs to be attack on multiple fronts.
Carriers need to start blacklisting devices. Verizon and sprint already do this in some ways but not completley. AT&T and T-Mobile do not right now. THey need to start blacklisting IMEI of phones and refuse to let them do anything but emergency mode.
This only kills thief inside one country. Problem is a lot of the smart phones are being stolen then shipped over seas so this is where you need to get Apple and other manufactures involved. Best ones would be the ones controlling the software which would be Apple, Google, MS and blackberry right now.
Getting those 4 involved also lets you kill off stealing tablets as well since you are targeting the OS and putting the kill switch on their.
That would seem logical, however there are some other factors that keep people from leaving (as a former Apple Corp. guy I can attest these are taken in account by bean counters).
- The media people purchased via the iTunes store, music (initially), all the apps, iBooks, movies, etc., would become unusable if a non-Apple device is purchased. Weighing the decision, it would cost more long term in apps and other purchases if one buys another device than paying for another iPhone.
- Many signed a two-year contract; purchasing another mobile device would still be full price unless they buy a cheaper, standard phone. Most often, they purchase a cheaper device until they qualify for a non-subsidized iPhone, use an older phone or use a friends phone (this is mostly with GSM carriers via SIM card or carriers that support that devices tech).
- Many pony up the full price as they don't want to switch. Believe it or not, only a small percentage decide on leaving, they're hooked into the "eco-system".
May seem illogical, and I agree it is, however that's what statistics have consistently shown.
Manufacturers or carriers can already de-activate IMEI numbers and prevent them from being re-used on any network within that country. Lots of stolen phones can and do end up in other countries where the de-activation has no effect.
I would imagine that Apple's Find my iPhone feature would work anywhere in the world so would be more useful.
I would imagine that Apple's Find my iPhone feature would work anywhere in the world so would be more useful.
The problem is that an iphone that auto bricks its self isn't going to be much use at stopping the crime you just described. The only thing it'll stop is if you leave it laying around in a way such that it can be identified PRIOR to the crime starting, and only IF the phone was the only target.
If I hold someone up in a dark ally and tell them to give me their phone and wallet, I sure as ell aint going to give them back their phone just because it's an iPhone. I'm taking that sucker with me for a bit and then tossing it in a river so that they can't call the cops with it. What are you going to do, wear a neon sign that reads "Don't rob me I have an iPhone" ?!
If someone leaves their iphone on a table while they go to the bathroom, I probably won't snatch it because it's not worth my time. But it's those types of crimes that can be prevented simply by the user being more cautious.
And if I knock you over the head and run off with your purse, exactly how am I going to undo that once I figure out I stole an iPhone instead of something else?
As I've stated before, the only crime this might prevent are ones that meet the following conditions
- The iPhone is the only target
- The type of phone is known prior to the crime starting
- The thief is up to date on technology.
If the phone is not the only target, then you're going to lose your phone just because.
If a crime has to be committed just to find out you have an iPhone, you're still losing your phone. And if the thief isn't educated on current tech, or hasn't stolen a few already, he's just going to take the phone.
Uh, that is exactly what thieves who snatch and grab iPhones do. They are out specifically for iPhones and other high-end smartphones, know how to identify them, and know exactly what to do with them after they get them.
http://www.today.com/news/apple-picking-thieves-snatch-iphones-1C8441809
Michael
And how does being more careful with expensive items not prevent this? I don't go around holding diamonds over my head, and when I'm taking a bus after dark I don't check the time using my iPhone. My point was that this kill switch would only serve to help with crimes that we can already prevent. The ones we can't prevent by being careful, robbery at gunpoint or similar, can't be stopped by being careful OR by a kill switch.
I admittedly did not realize how "targeted" iPhones were. Of course I'm reading that with a large grain of salt, as one dude does not constitute the teachings of crime 101. What percentage of stolen phones are due to targeted crimes? Until that statistic is known I'm not sure why we should institute new laws for manufacturers to follow.
I remember one of my first lessons as a kid. I left a favorite toy of mine in a public place on accident. I went back later with my father to get my toy, only to find that it wasn't there any more. My father sat me down and said "Let this be a lesson, a lesson to get an education, then someday you can run for office and mandate kill switches in toys that cause them to melt into a puddles if ever left in public".