

Police Now Can Switch off iPhone Camera and Wi-Fi - vividmind
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/08/19/police-now-can-switch-off-iphone-camera-and-wi-fi/

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BrandonMarc
Maybe Apple is patenting this in order to ensure it _does not get invented_
(for awhile). Some companies patent something to ensure nobody else can do it
either, with the idea that the invention will just die after that.

Maybe. But ... I'm to cynical to put my faith in "maybe".

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__david__
While that is a horrible idea, it's worth noting that a patent != actually
doing anything. So no, they can't turn off your camera… yet.

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glenra
Once again: If you read the actual patent (
[http://www.google.com/patents/US8254902](http://www.google.com/patents/US8254902)
), the quote about some police activity requiring _complete blackout
conditions_ is actually in reference to the _screen brightness_ , not the
cameras. One aspect of the idea seems to be that the phones OF THE COPS would
be able to go dark in response to a central command. It has nothing to do with
turning off the cameras of citizen-journalists.

(jwz nails it here: [http://www.jwz.org/blog/2013/08/oh-noes-apple-has-
patented-b...](http://www.jwz.org/blog/2013/08/oh-noes-apple-has-
patented-b..). )

Here is the full paragraph from which the misleading quote was yanked:

> _Excessive lighting emanating from wireless devices can also create
> disruption in dark environments. While it is well known that excessive or
> bright lighting in a movie theater can spoil the mood of certain movies,
> excessive lighting can also become a more serious issue in other contexts.
> For example, darkrooms used to develop film can only tolerate very low
> amounts of ambient lighting. Some biological labs also require low levels of
> lighting in certain instances (for example, as in the growth of light-
> sensitive bacteria). Covert police or government operations may require
> complete “blackout” conditions. A person 's sleep can even be interrupted by
> a bright flashing or modulating display (such as to indicate an incoming
> call)._

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daspion
Per the FCC, "Federal law prohibits the operation, marketing, or sale of any
type of jamming equipment, including devices that interfere with cellular and
Personal Communication Services, police radar, Global Positioning Systems, and
wireless networking services (Wi-Fi)."

Although, I'm sure an exception would be made for law enforcement on the
grounds of national security.

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makhanko
On the other hand. Apple users can already determine the location of their
phone and remotely lock or wipe out the iPhone using Apple's iCloud website.
Thus apple has technical ability to do just the same - just a matter of
sending few command by the server administrator.

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jbrowning
Not just for police... I'd imagine event organizers would like to have just
such a technology at their venues to prevent "unauthorized recording." Seems
pretty useless in practice though. Couldn't you just put your phone into
airplane mode?

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InternalRun
I think they are talking about the patent that is 3 years old and allows them
to turn functions off, no mention of the camera. Like the rest of the media
they have immediately jumped to the worst case scenario.

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moocowduckquack
Interesting choice of photograph to represent the police, for a military
veterans and foreign affairs journal.

