Apple Apply for Patent to Identify Jailbroken Devices

Evergreen

Anybody see the article on Silicone Republic today? I love the products but hate the attitude...


"Apple has applied for an extensive patent in order to identify and disable stolen, jailbroken or unlocked iPhones and iPads.

Titled “Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorised Users of an Electronic Device", the patent can find an unauthorised user by identifying activities such as “hacking, jailbreaking, unlocking, or removal of a SIM card”.

If a device detects that any of these activities have occurred, possible responses under the patent will include activating the iPhone’s camera to identify the user, geotagging and audio recording the area to determine its location, and logging keystrokes made by the user to record their activity.

Sensitive data on the phone could also be sent to a server and then removed from the device in order to prevent unauthorised users from accessing it.

Other responses apparently also cover a heartbeat sensor and an accelerometer to detect whether phone thieves are in transit.

While the patent says that these measures are in place in order to help them track iPhone thieves, many feel that this is Apple’s latest attempt at cracking down on users who jailbreak or unlock their devices.

Jailbreaking is the act of overriding the inbuilt lockdowns of an Apple device in order to run third party apps not approved by Apple. Unlocking is the removal of the restrictions that lock a phone into only being usable in certain countries or networks.

The US recently made the act of jailbreaking legal, provided it is for the purpose of accessing a telecoms network and done with the network owner’s permission.

Tech publication The Register feels that these measures detailed in the patent are “Orwellian”, for both reasons of privacy infringement and control issues.

“Ignoring the possibility that a false positive in Apple's proposed theft protection might activate the spy cam while the user is in the bath, or in the middle of some other intimate moment, this technology seems Orwellian for another reason: It gives Steve Jobs and Co the means to retaliate when iPhones aren't being used in ways Cupertino doesn't expressly permit,”

Fat_Fingers

This will be interesting one to follow. If approved it will give Apple power to brick jailbroken phones but bricking them in the US will result in lots of lawsuits against Apple as Jailbraking is legal there.
I don’t know about others but to me that would be giving Apple too much control over the device i already paid for. As much as i like my Iphone i would not be comfortable with this.

BrianD

I am not sure which is the worse evil - the fact that Apple can apply for such a "petent" (can it be even called a patent?) or that they want to do this in the first place. They are just eventually going to bat the market over to other OS's and devices.

seamus

Data protection would prevent them from including this technology in any phones here in Ireland.

Fat_Fingers

Data protection didn't stop Google sniffing other people's wifi networks here..

guil

i presume they would have to distribute it in a future update or can it be done with existing firware

NothingMan

The US recently made the act of jailbreaking legal, provided it is for the purpose of accessing a telecoms network and done with the network owner’s permission

.


That sentence implies that jailbreaking is the same as unlocking. Surely it cannot be illegal to jailbreak your phone just to use personalise your it and add some tools like delivery reports.

Jailbreaking just gives you access to a tool to unlock your phone it's not the same thing.

Also, why would you ask your operators permission to jailbreak, if they didn't mind they could just tell Apple to officially unlock your phone.

Why do Apple care so much? The devices are selling rediculously well, that's their money earned. Cydia doesn't even encourage hacked apps so if there's something you like in the App store you're still going to get it and use Cydia for things you couldn't buy anyway.

mondeo

Put some black tape over the camera!

Sounds unrealistic to have a device capable of spying to such extremes legally. Would force me to buy something else. I'd have none of their nonsense. Two finger salute to them if this happens.

BrianD

seamus wrote: »

Data protection would prevent them from including this technology in any phones here in Ireland.

Not necessarily. Your handset (any model) normally transmits an IMEI that an operate can bar from the network. Most apps that require interaction also transmit the unique serial number of the handset as well. Apple could make it a part of the software licence agreement. Unless the Data Commissioner takes a view on it, it could easily go ahead by agreement with each customer.

The problem here is - and it really depends on whether you see it as a problem - is that we're all used to having hardware, an operating system and software applications on a mix and match basis. Apple are basically taking a line that the hardware and OS are inseparable and come as a single entity and they control what goes on your hardware. We all know what the oroginal motivation is - keep on viruses which would be rampant on Iphones if it wasn't for the vetting of apps. The other effect is that they exert an enormous amount of control over your device which will ultimately be commercialised and monopolised. This is not a good thing for anybody.

Stuxnet

problem is we'll have to agree to new apple terms and conditions in the future, when activating idevices, allowing them to hit the kill switch if we do this to our idevices,
yes time to jump ship then

Hogzy

Fat_Fingers wrote: »

Data protection didn't stop Google sniffing other people's wifi networks here..

Yes it did, They were sued and had to delete it all.

jock101

This is total crap. Since when has Apple become a Government with sovereign powers! When you buy a product like the iPhone its your private property, to do with as you like, even smash it against a wall! It may void your warranty to jailbrake etc..., but thats your business!:rolleyes::rolleyes:

JohnC.

Remember, patents, even when granted, don't always produce anything. They might get a patent, but I doubt they would go around locking out phones.

BrianD

What's incredible is that the US Patent Office allows these vague patent applications and grants them. I doubt if Apple is the first to take out one of these types of patents.

I think the dreamy days of Apple being this cool "lighthouse brand" are well and truely over and the affinity that users had with the brand are evaporating. Yes, they design cool looking products that do things well but who wants to deal with an Orwellian style company? That famous advert may well come back to haunt them. The iront. Bring forth the new girl in shorts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8

cian1500ww

This sounds like a load of boll*x to me, how would they ever let Apple invade someones privacy to the extent of them knowing where you are, what you look like and whatever other information they can get from the phone at any time and anywhere. It would break every privacy law there is, how on earth could they think that they have a right to do such a thing ??

ironictoaster

I'd be surprised if this scared any of Apple's customers, I'd imagine everyone would have no problem hopping over to android phone without having to do put up with that crap.

nulabert

Correct me if I'm wrong here (I'm sure ye will) but a patent is something that gives you exclusivity to an idea or thing. I imagine you can get a patent on any of the wall thing. However, the implementation of the idea is a different ball game whereby the manufacture or service provider has to comply with the law of the land. If its proven to be a breach of civil liberties, that will be the end of that?

cornbb

A scaremongering spin by siliconrepublic and lot of melodramatic reactions in this thread... Let's take a step back for a minute... the patent is entitled "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device". This is clearly an extension to MobileMe's Find My iPhone service, which is already capable of geolocating and remotely locking/wiping lost or stolen iPhone. The patent describes how to identify an unauthorised person not how to recognise whether a device is jailbroken. Does anyone seriously think that Apple are interested in taking mugshots of people who jailbreak and beaming them back to HQ? Getting your dose of tech news from Silicon Republic and The Register is like getting your real news from The National Enquirer and The Daily Mail...

BrianD

cornbb wrote: »

A scaremongering spin by siliconrepublic and lot of melodramatic reactions in this thread... Let's take a step back for a minute... the patent is entitled "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device". This is clearly an extension to MobileMe's Find My iPhone service, which is already capable of geolocating and remotely locking/wiping lost or stolen iPhone. The patent describes how to identify an unauthorised person not how to recognise whether a device is jailbroken. Does anyone seriously think that Apple are interested in taking mugshots of people who jailbreak and beaming them back to HQ? Getting your dose of tech news from Silicon Republic and The Register is like getting your real news from The National Enquirer and The Daily Mail...

So what makes you more believable? Clearly you seem to in a position of expertese. Where do you get your updates ... Apple press relations department?

I don't believe that Apple are going to be taking mugshots of those who dare to jailbreak their devices. However they have put in motion the ability to disable these phones if they so wished down the road (mugshots optional). They're rolling out their own Homeland Security for their devices and folks are lapping it up.

Tom Dunne

Another "APPLE ARE AN EVIL CORPORATION BUT OTHER COMPANIES ARE JUST FINE" non-story that gets blown out of proportion because it is Apple, but if it were another company would get a few small lines buried somewhere in a web site.

Here's just the first hit on Google for "Android killswitch" - http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/25/google-flexes-biceps-flicks-android-remote-kill-switch-for-the/

So it is no secret that Apple, Google and Microsoft have backdoors into their mobile operating systems.

Fat_Fingers

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Another "APPLE ARE AN EVIL CORPORATION BUT OTHER COMPANIES ARE JUST FINE" non-story that gets blown out of proportion because it is Apple, but if it were another company would get a few small lines buried somewhere in a web site.

Here's just the first hit on Google for "Android killswitch" - http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/25/google-flexes-biceps-flicks-android-remote-kill-switch-for-the/

So it is no secret that Apple, Google and Microsoft have backdoors into their mobile operating systems.

Tom please try to contribute to debate and stay on topic rather than jump in and deploy Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field.
You are coming from angle It’s ok because its Apple. I don’t have Windows or Android phone so i don’t care right now. I do however care what Apple is up to as it will affect 2 Iphone’s and Ipod touch in my household.

guil

in sbsettings if ya go to system options there is an option to turn off the apple killswitch, whats the point of it

dloob

Just sounds like an anti-theft device. I don't see what's so unique about it that's worth a patent.
I have an app on my android phone that does most of that. Well it can't take a picture but will let you remotely browse any pictures that are taken.

Dades

Fat_Fingers wrote: »

Tom please try to contribute to debate and stay on topic rather than jump in and deploy Steve Jobs Reality Distortion Field.
You are coming from angle It’s ok because its Apple. I don’t have Windows or Android phone so i don’t care right now. I do however care what Apple is up to as it will affect 2 Iphone’s and Ipod touch in my household.

I pretty sure the point is this is nothing new. Companies apply for patents for all sorts of stuff all the time. It's mainly about getting in ahead of the other companies first.

"He who holds the most patents - wins".

This is just a case of Apple = News. If years from now they start to actually implement something along those lines - now that would be news.

Stuxnet

..

guil wrote: »

in sbsettings if ya go to system options there is an option to turn off the apple killswitch, whats the point of it

Steve also confirmed the controversial iPhone application kill switch in the event that Apple inadvertently approves a malicious program for distribution. Jobs said, "hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull."

Tom Dunne

Fat_Fingers wrote: »

You are coming from angle It’s ok because its Apple.

No I am not.

I am saying that Apple are not the only company doing it. Never once did I say I agree with it.

My point is, as Dades points out, is that when other companies do it, non-story, when Apple does it, hysteria.

kjl

don't worry

musclenerd, or comex or chpwn or ashikase or sakuir or plannetbeing will right a patch.

marty2002

According to a Geohot tweet a jailbreak would simply disable any "spyware" that apple put out to detect jailbroken devices.

http://www.coveringweb.com/2010/08/jailbreak-will-simply-disable-apples.html

Fat_Fingers

Tom Dunne wrote: »

No I am not.

I am saying that Apple are not the only company doing it. Never once did I say I agree with it.

My point is, as Dades points out, is that when other companies do it, non-story, when Apple does it, hysteria.

lol, Steve? STEVE? Is that you???? :D

"Antenna, what antenna... oh, look over there!!! OTHERS also have antenna problem”

Look Steve , love your work but stop dodging the issues by pointing fingers at the others. Can i now have free Ipad?:cool: