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Apple Patents Tech to Stop iPhones Filming in Venues

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the no-cameras-please dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A patent application filed by Apple, and obtained by the Times, reveals how the software would work. If a person were to hold up their iPhone, the device would trigger the attention of infra-red sensors installed at the venue. These sensors would then instruct the iPhone to disable its camera."

10 of 391 comments (clear)

  1. Deja Vue by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Informative

    Haven't we been here before?

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  2. The real counter measure by itchythebear · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't buy an iphone if this bothers you.

    I like a lot of apple products, but in this case I think i'll pass on the new iphone.

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    If what I just said sounded like a troll, it was probably just a failed attempt at humor.
    1. Re:The real counter measure by flaming+error · · Score: 5, Insightful

      > The solution would be to make it illegal for the police to do that

      1) Whoever wrote that law would commit political suicide.
      2) Enforcing a law against the enforcers of the law can be difficult.
      3) At a time when SCOTUS shreds the Constitution into hamster bedding by repealing Miranda rights, allowing police to enter without a warrant and without knocking, allowing the feds wholesale warrantless surveillance of the entire citizenry, of what use is any law?

  3. Worry when the government starts mandating it by MobyDisk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The police will love it once this is mandated by law in all phones!

    Back in the day when we all whined that Microsoft was evil, we had *NO IDEA* what evil really was.

  4. A Good Patent by KPU · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is dumb. Patenting it will prevent others from being dumb in a similar way.

  5. Re:Jobs should call Gates by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This could blow up into "next they'll shutdown cameras during a Rodney King beating", and iPhone becomes the Brave New World gateway device.

    And, given that I'm one of the people saying that ... I personally fail to see how this technology wouldn't be abused.

    Apparently, you can't publish pictures of the friggin' Eiffel tower, because some company owns the copyright on the lighting. Concert promoters will be all over this. Fireworks. Buildings. Public art. Free Speech Zones. Governments who have no qualms abusing their people (ok, that's all of them).

    As someone who tends to carry a camera around an awful lot, the idea that someone else can disable that is a little worrying ... if I'm in public, and if I can see it, I'm entitled to take a picture of it. I don't give a damn that some idiot asserts he owns the copyright to a building ... I'm not copying the building, I'm taking a picture of my experiences.

    Sure, Apple can use this to negotiate better deals on iTunes. But, speaking as someone who actually owns some Apple products ... if they think I'm going to accept a limitation on when I can use my camera, they're horribly wrong.

    This just puts too much power in the hands of people who I don't place any trust in.

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    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  6. Back on topic... by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Ok, and exactly WHY as a iPhone customer, would I want such 'feature' on my phone?? Rather limiting I'd say.

    I don't want my electronic gadgets to be told what to do by other sources....I want it up to ME what I film and don't film,etc.

    So, when the cops are beating someone, will they be deploying or wearing these nifty IR devices to prevent us, the general public from filming them?!?!?

    I mean, aside from the lameness of this, fixing a problem that isn't there....what about the abuses of this?

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    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    1. Re:Back on topic... by icebike · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Ok, and exactly WHY as a iPhone customer, would I want such 'feature' on my phone?? Rather limiting I'd say.

       

      Exactly so. What a huge sales disincentive.

      Far be it from me to suggest Apple is doing something altruistic, but let me toss this out there:

      Were they doing us all a favor by locking up this technology so that venues couldn't deploy it and/or demand it on all smart phones?

      Seems vaguely possible, since without wide adoption in all handsets, this technology is useless, and won't be deployed anywhere. A patent is actually counter productive in the eyes of the venues and rights holders, as it limits the ability to deploy this.

      Apple themselves would have little incentive to add yet another cripple feature in their phones considering that the competition would add no such thing. Unless Apple lobbied for smartphone exclusion zones, with the iPhone given a pass there would be no market incentive for this feature.

      So why patent something that would be a huge sales disincentive if actually deployed?

      Some middle eastern countries are cracking down on photos in public places, but I doubt they have a big enough market for this.

      It makes no sense.

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    2. Re:Back on topic... by Culture20 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You would be when you find out you cant take a picture of your friends at a venue. You would post a question to apple.com forums, and it would be deleted. You would then post another question, thinking you made a mistake posting the first one, and your forum account would be banned. Then you'd google the problem and find this and other articles.

  7. This is one patent I want Apple to win. by TavisJohn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And I want Apple to defend it with all the power it has... So that only Apple devices are blocked and all other devices are unaffected.