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Apple Patents a Way To Keep People From Filming At Concerts and Movie Theaters (qz.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Apple has patented a system that prohibits smartphone users from taking photos and videos at concerts, movie theaters and other events where people tend to ignore such restrictions. The patent has been award to Apple today and was first spotted by Patently Apple. QZ reports: "It outlines a system which would allow venues to use an infrared emitter to remotely disable the camera function on smartphones. According to the patent, infrared beams could be picked up by the camera, and interpreted by the smartphone as a command to block the user from taking any photos or videos of whatever they're seeing. The patent also outlines ways that infrared blasters could actually improve someone's experience at a venue. For example, the beams could be used to send information to museum-goers by pointing a smartphone camera at a blaster placed next to a piece of art." The report also mentions that the patent could in theory be used to help police limit smartphone filming of acts of brutality, or help a government shut off filming in certain locations. Last week, SlashGear reported that Alicia Keys is the latest musician to ban cellphones at her events.
Now the cops can abuse people and you can't film them doing it!
That's a really interesting idea from Apple.
Because last I checked, the iPhone camera since the iPhone 4 has an IR filter on it and can't see IR light. Found this out at the Science Museum when there was a display of the visible spectrum and it told you to take out your phone and look at it via the camera.
Surprise! iPhones can't see the IR lights, but other phone cameras could.
You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
The intent was that they would be picked up by the camera, making this option prevent using the camera at all. But you have exactly the right idea; people will use a film that filters out that IR frequency while being transparent to visible light.
On the other hand, I would like to buy one and shut down cameras on seesights spots. Pure fun! [some evil smiley]
You're misunderstanding; it won't be a separate sensor, it'll be the camera itself, picking up a pattern transmitted by IR emitters in the area, and interpreted from the cameras' data stream. You'd have to cover the camera itself.
Naturally this would be leveraged and abused by law enforcement all over the world. This is an example of technology that needs to be outlawed. Apple is crossing a line if they actually incorporate this technology into their products, especially if they do not provide an immutable way for the owner of the phone to disable the function.
If concert promoters want to prevent filming or photographing of concerts then they just need to tell people to leave their phones in their cars or at home and confiscate them if they're smuggled in, returning them after the concert.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Also, infrared cut filters for SLRs are $20 on Amazon. I suspect it won't take long for someone to make one that fits discretely over a phone camera lens (perhaps as part of a phone case) that blocks the relevant wavelengths.
Let me be the first to say, "FUCK YOU!" to any artist that does this.
I'll never attend your concert or buy your music. I'll go out of my way to pirate it if I like it, but you'll never get a fucking dime from me.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
They assume I want to buy a crippled phone that can be disabled remotely by someone that isn't me.
This is a "just stick, no carrot" kind of deal. Thanks but no thanks.
Use the same tech to rob banks and other places maybe even tolls and red light cams.
Can we not do anything for ourselves anymore. Must every creation or augmentation be about controlling or "protecting" us or protecting someone else from us?!? Within 30 seconds of reading this, I already had a mental list of a dozen ways this could be abused. All of which out-weight any possible value this could add to anyone. Is their nothing left in our lives that we can exert some modicum of control over? What's next? Must my kitchen utensils be internet enabled so they can verify with faties.gov that what I'm attempting to eat is allowed. Come on people....
I could make a device that discreetly clips onto my jacket or on a cap that sends out the IR signal continuously to stop cameras that are pointed at me.
Or maybe similar devices on my car that sends the signal to stop cameras from recording pictures or video of my car.
I'll become invisible!
By the time this patent idea is implemented, most of the iphone users will be on an IR-capable device.
MY PHONE should obey MY instructions. If I say take of picture of something it should do so, not ask some third party not me if its alright.
What I do with the phone is my responsibility.
Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
For what it's worth, this patent was discussed five years ago on Slashdot. The earliest date for this idea of Apple's appears to be December 2, 2009.
As a teacher, I'd like to see Apple or Google patent a way to use a phone as only a calculator or run in a sandbox -- call it classroom mode. I don't think they'll do it because Apple & Google would end up selling less chromebooks and iPads for COWS(Computer On Wheel) carts to schools. Just my $ 0.02
"There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and
the removal of the headphone jack.
Put up a sign stating that cellphones observed during the concert will be confiscated
That does not make it legal to confiscate anything that I legally own.
The only thing that a venue can do is ask me to leave. If I refuse, they can call the cops for trespassing, but that's about it.
observers violating those terms deserve some kind of negative reinforcement
Which will be limited to being thrown out.
I'm not a complete idiot... Some parts are missing.
Actually I'm confused, because most cameras already filter UV and IR frequencies.
No, they don't.
Open up your camera app on your phone, point any remote at it, and hold down a button.
No, they don't.
Technically they do, otherwise synthetic fabrics would come out purple (see "Infrared / Ultraviolet pollution" half way down the page). They're just not 100% effective so a little IR gets through, and depends on the camera as some are worse than others.
My workaround is already in place, that is not buying Apple products.
You must be talking about the Stazi, if I am picking up on your inference correctly? The tools of oppression are many and varied, the people you are talking about are too insular and afraid to look at such things. Worse that there is no hope for cowards, that they destroy hope for all.
I can't say if the majority of /.rs believe that, but I do know that there are some people here that are very aware of the things that you speak of. The inference of this technology is very clear - 'we can film you - but you can't film us'. The state wants the power to allow law enforcement to be thugs to keep people in a state of fear as it is a tool of oppression. We were all blind for a long time, however now that we all have cameras, we can all see the activities of the state and confront its representatives with the evidence.
You are right about there being no refuge and the only thing that I have seen in recent time to balance that is that everyone and anyone can be a random witness at any time and the kind of thuggery you are speaking of can be recorded as evidence and used to challenge that states version of events. This kind of important advancement is not merely a 'power to the people' kind of thing, it's an evolution of society as a whole to force the state to live up to the professional standards they profess to be maintaining.
It also show how poisonous the music industry is and that the consequences of their 'Digital Restrictions Management' has had a much broader effect in the general community than any of us could have imagined and as such, inevitable that such technology would be invented. Whilst I have no doubt that there will be some sort of hack to overcome any implementation of it, that means nothing to the general population. The new (superior) model of witnessing state violence is being challenged with the premise of blinding a society who eyes have just been opened. We will have to watch how this development unfolds very carefully indeed.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.