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Apple Refuses To Enable iPhone Emergency Settings that Could Save Countless Lives (thenextweb.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: Despite being relatively easy, Apple keeps ignoring requests to enable a feature called Advanced Mobile Location (AML) in iOS. Enabling AML would give emergency services extremely accurate locations of emergency calls made from iPhones, dramatically decreasing response time. As we have covered before, Google's successful implementation of AML for Android is already saving lives. But where Android users have become safer, iPhone owners have been left behind. The European Emergency Number Association (EENA), the organization behind implementing AML for emergency services, released a statement today that pleads Apple to consider the safety of its customers and participate in the program: "As AML is being deployed in more and more countries, iPhone users are put at a disadvantage compared to Android users in the scenario that matters most: An emergency. EENA calls on Apple to integrate Advanced Mobile Location in their smartphones for the safety of their customers." Why is AML so important? Majority of emergency calls today are made from cellphones, which has made location pinging increasingly more important for emergency services. There are many emergency apps and features in development, but AML's strength is that it doesn't require anything from the user -- no downloads and no forethought: The process is completely automated. With AML, smartphones running supporting operating systems will recognize when emergency calls are being made and turn on GNSS (global navigation satellite system) and Wi-Fi. The phone then automatically sends an SMS to emergency services, detailing the location of the caller. AML is up to 4,000 times more accurate than the current systems -- pinpointing phones down from an entire city to a room in an apartment. "In the past months, EENA has been travelling around Europe to raise awareness of AML in as many countries as possible. All these meetings brought up a recurring question that EENA had to reply to: 'So, what about Apple?'" reads EENA's statement.
So far as I know, in Canada and the USA there's already e911, which is a system whereby the cell phone's GPS is turned on, regardless of the user's set preferences, and a GPS fix is sent to the 911 call center by the mobile service provider.
At least in Canada, this was mandated by law for all new phones (because the USA was doing it anyway, and we're effectively a sub-market of the USA so we were getting it anyway). It's also mandated in Canada that the phone companies pass along the e911 data, and that 911 call centers be set up to accept it... though I believe there are/were plenty of delays by both in implementing.
I'm somewhat confused as to whether AML is a different name for e911, or if it's an additional system that uses WiFi maps to enhance location services. I suspect the latter is the case, and Apple already has e911 which is, as far as I know, required by law, and they simply don't want to have to worry about paying Google for a good map of known WAPs. (Because you know Google would be the one that knows every WAP by SID and lat/long)
The other day I go to report a dangerous situation on the road to 911, the call goes through, then I go to turn the speakerphone on, since it is loud on the street, and.. well, I can't, 'cos there's this big bar across all that with a busy indicator, but eventually it gets my location and shows me a picture of where I am. So they crippled the phone app to let me know where I am?
The article listed exactly one life purportedly saved by this tech when a Lithuanian boy called the local equivalent of 911.
But one life obviously scales up to "countless".
However this service is actually only available in "UK, Estonia, Lithuania and parts of Austria" - not the EU as a whole, which seems to be implied by the submission. And, since the tech is owned by Google, we don't know what other requirements may be involved... as I recall, when they were still the official map provider for iOS, they kept lobbying for more access to iPhone owners' location data.
#DeleteChrome
Ahahaha... OSI :)
I remember that crap. Basically, this was the brainchild of a bunch of second-rate CS professors, who tried to do better than TCP/IP by adding several layers of obtuse complications on top of the network layer. One of these professors was a teacher at the uni I studied, many years ago. He forced everyone to buy his book on the topic. After the course was done, I never heard of the thing again, of course, until now. Not so happy memories (the course was lethally boring), but at least memories. Of 25 years ago. :)
ITs called 'Lib-er-ty'
Specifically i should have the option of NOT providing my location constantly. Any smartphone that doesnt offer root by default should be banned outright, no exceptions. See i can spout unrealistic absolutes too.
Well, good because that is exactly what AML is NOT doing.... Fantastic, you can have everything you want and still be saved from a heart attack.
In many EU country not only you HAVE to legally report any incident , but you are under the threat of a prison sentence if you don't assist (e.g. unterlassene Hilfeleistung (failure to provide assistance) is a crime under section 323(c)). You have no right to report incident anonymously, in fact you have a duty to stay until the rescuer are here to take over, you have a duty to give possible help you are able to (as far as you are able). There are similar laws in some other EU countries (not all mind you). Pretty much why a few month ago when there was some old guy lying down in blood, and a pair of adult was a bit non plussed as what to do, I *had* to stop and help, help make the person warm, try to check if they had brain problem , etc... Until the ambulance came. Now I would have stopped , the law be there or not, because I see it as the moral thing to do. But even if I did not have that view, I was legally obligated.
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I'm all for defending privacy, but in a situation where a phone is already being used to call emergency services, giving an exact location is hardly an infringement, is it? You're not just calling them for a friendly chat. You're calling them because something bad happened and someone needs help, as soon as possible, wherever you are right now. Something that reliably tells the ambulance crew where to find a casualty even a single minute faster than describing their location verbally to an operator and having them figure out where you mean is surely going to save lives.
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
"At least China is upfront about their efforts to keep a tight reign on their citizens and make no excuses for their actions."
This statement was not intended to be a compliment or supportive in any way towards Chinese government. It is simply the truth. The fact that Apple and quite a few other companies agree to every Chinese demand just so they can have access to the Chinese market.
So no PRC bot here. Although I have traveled all over the world and the Chinese have always been friendly or at least not hostile. On the other I have found Europeans to be simpering ass hats with a massive inferiority complex which they try to compensate for by berating and insulting every US citizen the run across. And this attitude is nothing new. I experienced this attitude in my first encounters 30 years ago.