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Apple Patents Remotely Disabling Jailbroken Phones

Posted by Soulskill on from the trying-to-put-the-break-in-jailbreak dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Apple yesterday applied for a patent to allow remotely disabling electronic devices when 'unauthorized usage' is detected. The patent application covers using the camera to take pictures of the unauthorized user and using GPS to determine location, and it involves ascertaining whether the phone has been hacked or jailbroken, using those as criteria for detecting 'suspicious behavior.' The patent would allow the carrier or any other 'authorized' party to disable or restrict the functionality of the device. Is this Apple's latest tool to thwart jailbreaking?"

3 of 381 comments (clear)

  1. You don't own your own hardware by EmagGeek · · Score: 0, Redundant

    That's about the size of it. This is why I never buy brand name anything if I can avoid it. Too many companies think they are just renting you their hardware, that they still own it, and that they can presume to disable it if they think you are not using it the way they want you to.

    Fuck them.

    Fuck them right in the ear.

  2. Re:FUD by Kidbro · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Theft is not legal. It would be VERY useful to have a photo of the user of a stolen device.

    Very much so. Which is also why it is the opposite of useful that the tech is patented...

    --
    May we live long and die out
  3. Re:Just because it's patented... by Straterra · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Slashdot has about as many anti-Apple trolls as it has pro-Linux and anti-Microsoft trolls.

    In short, you must be new here.