Control over your smart pbone

[Singlestack]

Apple was issued US patent 8,254,902 on August 28th of this year for a technology that allows "others" to selectively disable features on your smart phone. I had a feeling something like this would come along sooner or later, since the technology allows that type of functionality. While there are probably some good uses of the technology, like disabling the ringer in a movie theater or courtroom, it seems to me this can easily be abused. For example, disabling the video or audio recorder function if within some distance of a police officer or police car - or disabling the call function at all. I draft patent applications for a living, and I think this is a pretty darn valuable patent. Haven't seen the closest prior art or prosecution history, but the fact it is an issued (granted) patent produces a legal assumption of validity.

Singlestack

[JM Ver. 2.0]

Again with the police bashing... :thumbdown:

[TEAMRICO]

Until they can disable a stand alone video camera then I will worry. When you use a smart phone for your everyday existence you get what THEY decide you should have.
kids will,continue to buy them for the status symbol if it flashes and makes cool sounds.
the dumber my phone the better.
im still waiting for a stand alone texting device only.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

Again with the police bashing... :thumbdown:

Where exactly do you see police bashing in that statement?

[Singlestack]

I really didn't think I was police bashing, at all - just indicating the technology has many possible uses and some which might be called into question.

[TEAMRICO]

The word POLICE has been banned or associated with BASHING now?
huh, when did this site team up with MSNBC?
He made a example of the technology.

[Singlestack]

One other thing to note: the patent contains 3 claim sets - think of that as 3 versions of the invention. One provides user notification that a feature is being disabled, one provides the ability for a user to accept or decline the feature disablement, and the third provides no notification or approval. This is good claim writing, and part of why this is a valuable patent. However, the third case where no notification or acceptance is required is (to me, at least) the scary function. BTW, I think it was inevitable that this sort of functionality would exist at some point - just a matter of who got there first and/or patented it. I don't think the tech is good or evil by itself - depends on the actions/intentions of the user.

I'm reminded of a discussion I had with my liberal sister-in-law who says she hates what the US did in 1945 by making the first A-Bomb, and that alone made the world a really bad place. I told her Russia and Germany (at least) were working on the same problem at the same time, and there would have been an A-Bomb regardless of whether or not the US made one first. She disagreed, saying only the US had the capability of making one. At the specific time in question, she may be right - but it is certain others would have had it in the years to follow...

Singlestack

[Graves]

Again with the police bashing... :thumbdown:

Slap yourself.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

Yeah I'm still waiting for an explanation jm.

[cofi]

Again with the police bashing... :thumbdown:

you are butthurt for no reason


this is the reason i still use a stupid brick flip phone

[JM Ver. 2.0]

Where exactly do you see police bashing in that statement?


I really didn't think I was police bashing, at all - just indicating the technology has many possible uses and some which might be called into question.


The word POLICE has been banned or associated with BASHING now?
huh, when did this site team up with MSNBC?
He made a example of the technology.

Specific example of POLICE being able to disable the camera and voice recording... That leads one to believe that the police have something to hide... That, is calling the honesty of the police into question... Which is bashing, in my eyes. Plus, this tech would require the phone to connect to something. Bluetooth or network based, it could be bypassed simply by turning off the antenna in the phone. Airplane Mode.

I do agree in what SingleStack said though. The intention of the user will decide the morality of the tech.

Now.. Did SingleStack MEAN to bash the police.. I don't think so... I'm just saying how it sounded.

If you really wanna get down to it, disabling anything that has to do with the communications side of the phone would be a 1st amendment violation... It's been tried before. A school out east tried to block and disable cell phone service in the building to prevent kids from being distracted during class. It went over like a lead balloon, ending in several lawsuits being filed. If I remember right, one of the suits was filed by the police department in that town. The jamming device they used also knocked out the police radio.

[JM Ver. 2.0]

you are butthurt for no reason


this is the reason i still use a stupid brick flip phone

Yep... You're right... I'm crying on the inside...


You know your "Stupid Brick" carries the same amount of risk as a smart phone, right?

[Singlestack]

Jim,

Sorry if I offended - most certainly not my intention. I have several LEO close friends, and the blue line has my absolute respect. In fact, I attended the SHOT show this past January representing one of our CO city PDs. My attempt was simply to describe a highly controversial use of the technology into an area that is a hot topic these days. Frankly, I've seen abuse on both sides of the issue. I am no defender of those a**wipes that try to bait a cop into something by recording him during a contact and acting provocatively. Personally, I'd cheer if the phone in question was somehow damaged in the contact...

Singlestack

[nynco]

Don't buy apple anything. They are a bunch of bastards who try to manipulate the market with bogus court cases surrounding dubious patent issues. F them...

If you are worried about this. I suggest you buy an android phone and run your own custom OS on it. The hacker community can stop that BS dead in its tracks that way. This is the beauty of open source compared to Apple's and Windows tyrannical abuses.

[JM Ver. 2.0]

Jim,

Sorry if I offended - most certainly not my intention. I have several LEO close friends, and the blue line has my absolute respect. In fact, I attended the SHOT show this past January representing one of our CO city PDs. My attempt was simply to describe a highly controversial use of the technology into an area that is a hot topic these days. Frankly, I've seen abuse on both sides of the issue. I am no defender of those a**wipes that try to bait a cop into something by recording him during a contact and acting provocatively. Personally, I'd cheer if the phone in question was somehow damaged in the contact...

Singlestack

I'm to assume you were addressing me and apologize for what I said. All too often threads that point out something LE does in a less than kosher way go to hell in a hand basket. Sorry if I offended.