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Apple Disables Egyptian iPhones' GPS

Posted by timothy on from the just-extrapolate-a-bit dept.

floydman writes "Apparently the Egyptian government is paranoid about its community using GPS devices, to the degree that it demanded Apple remove any GPS functionality from its iPhone 3G. They claim that 'GPS functionality should be limited to military purposes.' Egyptian blogger Ahmed Gabr brought this issue up in another article, and talks about how this does not make sense, since Google maps and the like can be used. I also happen to know for a fact that most of the modern cars in Egypt have built-in GPS systems."

6 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. Swell plan by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In a country that consists to a good deal of desert and other not too pleasant terrain where getting lost means dying it's a really, really good idea to disallow tools that allow you to find out where exactly you are.

    Is it me or is this already beyond stupid and paranoid? What "advantage" could a terrorist/communist/boogymanoftheweek gain from knowing where he is? I guess those people are

    a) knowledgeable enough of the area to know where they are.
    b) Usually not interested in blowing themselves sky high in the middle of nowhere and
    c) Not too picky of where they strike, as long as it causes enough people to get terrorized (hence their description).

    So I'm waiting for a really good explanation why a potentially life saving function should be turned of for "security" reasons. I know, "national security" means "whatever keeps the government in power" these days, but shouldn't we at least keep the pretence up that it's about keeping the people safe?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    1. Re:Swell plan by mikael · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Maybe the simplest of looters could find the coordinates of valuable archeological digs. Before GPS and Google maps, they would have needed maps, survey equipment and access to the journals. Now they could just surf the web and find the coordinates from a research paper.

      --
      Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
    2. Re:Swell plan by ultranova · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Other than, say the ability to drop a UAV bomb on government buildings or open markets from hundreds of kilometers away ?

      Ah, that explains it then. Cruise missiles and other long-range delivery methods are easy and cheap to obtain, while a GPS navigator is the nigh-legendary top-secret techical marvel only rumoured to exist...

      GPS + terrorists = disaster.

      GPS + terrorists = terrorists who can locate themselves.

      Most countries do not have the capability of even detecting the thing in-flight (and with the bomb light enough, flying close to buildings the us does not have that capability either).

      Most countries don't have the capability of detecting bombs taped into the bottom of a random car, set up to go off during rush hour.

      An iphone 3g (or any gps device, but iphone 3g is sturdy, cheap and available) controlling a low flying bomb would be a terrorist's dream weapon.

      Yeah. And with a GPS-enabled phone, all they are lacking is the flying bomb.

      I truly hope you are trolling. Otherwise I'm starting to get a bit scared, and not of terrorists. Maybe we should start a war on stupidity next ?

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

  2. Location, location, location... by nycguy · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Is this really about wanting to keep citizens from knowing where they are, or is it more about not wanting to have a programmable GPS-enabled device that could be used to detonate a bomb when it nears a specified location?

    If the above is the case, it's a pretty dumb approach, since a GPS-enabled iPhone could just be smuggled in. Either way, it would be interesting to know what the real motives behind this ban are.

    1. Re:Location, location, location... by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That sound like a more logic reason, but bluntly, it's not like building a GPS device is in any way rocket science or requires any kind of "monitored" hardware. Actually, the iPhone would be a rather poor choice for such a device, not only for its price. And it makes little sense to build such a bomb in the first place unless you plan to send it through FedEx or postal service.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  3. Re:Anonymous Coward by OeLeWaPpErKe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You should visit a few poor countries and note the amount of GPS devices there. I mean even in India there more than just commonplace.

    Even on many things you wouldn't consider "cars" you find gps devices these days.