EFF working to keep iPhone, iPad 'jailbreaking' legal in US

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  • Reply 41 of 68
    Apple used to be cool, innovative, but now it's more focused on control than anything else.



    You can still do pretty much what you want with Pro, iMac and MacBook, so I use them, but move to Linux more every day. Linux don't tell you what you may do, see.



    I remember when I got one of the first iPhones available over here. Enormous enthusiasm, but that faded very quickly when it became apparent that



    1) The phone was locked to an operator - unheard of here, then.

    2) It had to be activated on the internet before you could use it.

    3) One could not run anything but allowed apps on it.



    Additionally, when the phone didn't show up like any USB stick in the Finder, I gave up. I now use an old Nokia as a simple telephone, and the iPhone as a dictaphone and guitar tuner only.



    The iPhone has an old (expired) prepaid SIM card in it so it will work at all, but that's all.



    About jailbreaking; if you need it, you do it if you can. About it being legal or not; who cares? "They" never gave you anything, so why should you give them your obedience that can only lead to "Skynet" - step by step. People being enthusiastic over Siri and stuff; it's the voice of Skynet speaking there, so fight back now (with your wallets and feet at least).



    People, don't turn into obedient, programmed consumers just because of some shiny gizmo that goes Beep-Beep.
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  • Reply 42 of 68
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kcartesius View Post


    Linux don't tell you what you may do, see.



    Right, we need an emoticon that starts at a neutral face and slowly, horrifyingly expands to a smile. Imagine that here.



    Quote:

    Enormous enthusiasm, but that faded very quickly when it became apparent that



    1) The phone was locked to an operator - unheard of here, then.



    Where's 'here' for you? Just to clarify.



    Quote:

    3) One could not run anything but allowed apps on it.



    Just like every single other phone in virtually every single other country on the planet. Except minus the 'allowed to run absolutely anything but the stuff your carrier put on it' part. Again, knowing where you are will clarify your position.



    Quote:

    Additionally, when the phone didn't show up like any USB stick in the Finder, I gave up.







    Quote:

    I now use an old Nokia as a simple telephone, and the iPhone as a dictaphone and guitar tuner only.



    Maybe should have actually done some research on the purchase, then?



    Quote:

    About it being legal or not; who cares?



    Jailbreaking isn't illegal. That's the point. Illegal crap is illegal. And pirates get no recourse.



    Quote:

    "They" never gave you anything,



    Because the best phone ever made, the one that destroyed the telecoms' hold on phone software, isn't "anything.



    Quote:

    People being enthusiastic over Siri and stuff; it's the voice of Skynet speaking there, so fight back now (with your wallets and feet at least).







    Quote:

    People, don't turn into obedient, programmed consumers just because of some shiny gizmo that goes Beep-Beep.



    Strange. Seems that all Linux does is beep.
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  • Reply 43 of 68
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    All pirates are jailbreakers but not all jailbreakers are pirates.



    The scales of that statement aren't nearly as balanced as they used to be.



    I understand that and I'm not speaking on jailbreakers - they're people; this is about jailbreaking and jailbreaking promotes piracy as well as other security concerns. Even if people don't install any pirated apps, they indirectly supports it with or without their knowledge.



    Jailbreaking shouldn't be an issue if there was moderation & control. It can be considered as an alternative. However, I'm not seeing anything like that happened eversince it was 'legalized'.
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  • Reply 44 of 68
    pendergastpendergast Posts: 1,358member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kcartesius View Post


    Apple used to be cool, innovative, but now it's more focused on control than anything else.



    You can still do pretty much what you want with Pro, iMac and MacBook, so I use them, but move to Linux more every day. Linux don't tell you what you may do, see.



    Neither does iOS. It's called Safari.



    As far as the App Store, it's no different than buying software as Best Buy; Best Buy doesn't sell harmful, malicious, pirated, or pornographic software. Actually, there's more openness, as small fish can get their apps discovered.



    You strike me as the sort that chafes against any form of rules.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kcartesius View Post


    "They" never gave you anything, so why should you give them your obedience that can only lead to "Skynet" - step by step. People being enthusiastic over Siri and stuff; it's the voice of Skynet speaking there, so fight back now (with your wallets and feet at least).



    People, don't turn into obedient, programmed consumers just because of some shiny gizmo that goes Beep-Beep.



    Right...



    Is it a full moon? They're really out in force right now.
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  • Reply 45 of 68
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    Just to be picky and because it's constantly being misrepresented, Jailbreaking is not "legal."



    The wording is that it's illegal is the purpose you jailbreak for is itself illegal, so in the example above. It's not that you are using a "legal process" to do an illegal thing (if you are pirating apps), it's that the act of jail breaking itself becomes illegal if you use it to pirate apps. It's a small but important difference. It's not blankly legal to jailbreak your device, it depends upon your intention.



    Jailbreaking is also illegal if it's used to port Siri to a device that Apple doesn't want you to use Siri on for example. Jailbreaking is illegal if you want to use it to install an app that itself does an illegal thing like tracking apps, various hacks etc.



    When tech sites state that "jail breaking is legal" and then in one of their articles direct someone to a jail breaking site, they are actually breaking the law if said site does any of these things (or similar) or promotes any one of these things (or similar things).



    Since many of these sites contain apps that would be technically illegal or links to sites that do illegal things, it would really be best if you guys stopped posting articles with such links to Cydia etc., and stop passing around the false idea that jailbreaking is 100% legal all the time. Since the majority of jail breakers would be using such apps or doing such things ... jailbreaking *is* actually still a crime in most cases.







    As an attorney (with a fair amount of IP experience), I can you that you have this wrong. You wouldn't say opening your car door is illegal if your intent is to get in the car and go rob a bank any more than you would say jail breaking is illegal. It is what you do after you jailbreak the device that counts. Jail breaking on its face it legal (as it should be). Now you might use the fact that somebody jail broke a phone along with some other evidence to proof an attempted crime involving IP theft.
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  • Reply 46 of 68
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zeejay21 View Post


    I understand that and I'm not speaking on jailbreakers - they're people; this is about jailbreaking and jailbreaking promotes piracy as well as other security concerns. Even if people don't install any pirated apps, they indirectly supports it with or without their knowledge.



    Jailbreaking shouldn't be an issue if there was moderation & control. It can be considered as an alternative. However, I'm not seeing anything like that happened eversince it was 'legalized'.





    BS. People who follow the law shouldn't have to suffer for the acts of those who choose to violate the law. Jailbreaking is essential for people who want to unlock phones they own. Further, it is essential for people who want to use their devices for purposes not allowed by the hardware vendor. For instance, prior to iOS 5 Apple had the worst notification system on its phones. Android's was much better.



    Apple didn't allow third party alternatives to its Notification system on its App Store. One, however, could go to Cydia and find better options. Ironically, Apple hired the developer of a Cydia alternative to help with the current iOS Notification System. I also use other legal applications, like VLC Media Viewer that I use on my Mac, that Apple does not offer on its App Store.



    The next thing people of your ilk will want is for Apple to close down its Macs so its users don't have access to the file system and don't have the ability to bypass the App Store to acquire applications.
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  • Reply 47 of 68
    airnerdairnerd Posts: 693member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by zeejay21 View Post


    You're not making any sense.



    Jailbreaking should be legal whereas malicious apps and/or pirating is illegal? Where are you gonna put pirated apps on if not on jailbreak devices? As for robbing or killing, which body part got cuffed when you got arrested? Your hands. And your feet if you start kicking. And your mouth too if you start making threats.



    What an irresponsible comment. So the government should NOT be responsible for suicides and killings, is that what you're saying? Then we need not police and soldiers to keep us safe from bad, irresponsible people because it's our fault that we let these bad things happened and let those bad people roam free.



    Does a lot of people put nitrous in their cars? If so, there'll be many nitro-equipped cars in the streets now and besides, you just touched on modified cars - one that I'm also interested in. You know that street racing, mostly with modified, nitrous equipped cars, without proper safety and management leads to accidents and other problems, right? That made it illegal because it endangers lives. And, from where I lived, modifying cars IS illegal because most of them are used in illegal street racing.



    We're not talking about desktop OS where it's allowed to be tweaked (but not sold, in OSX and Windows case), we're talking about mobile OS and console OS. This is a new generation, not the old one. Console makers, such as Sony and Microsoft, has a firm stand on this jailbreak issue and has legal support - why can't Apple have one?



    idiotic statements. So by your theory we should make jailbreaking illegal because someone COULD do something illegal with it.





    That is moronic on so many levels.
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  • Reply 48 of 68
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by airnerd View Post


    So you never speed, jaywalk, curse, or anything like that?





    Morally wrong? Thanks for the laugh.



    Remind me never to make a bargain with you. Apparently your word is worthless. The idea of morality just makes you giggle. Sad.
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  • Reply 49 of 68
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sol77 View Post


    Buying knives should be illegal. They can be used to kill people. If I used my butter knife to kill someone, the act of buying the butter knife at Ikea months ago becomes illegal.



    I get that some are frustrated by the gray areas, similar to how people feel about gun laws in the States, but if there is a gray area, it is things like Installous, not jailbreaking. I've jailbroken my phone, and the only thing I do with it is add stupid tweaks, use activator for gesture controles, etc.



    How many people out there are like me...you see this as a complete non-issue that shouldn't even be considered? I don't understand how the matter of jailbreaking is even considered a "matter."



    This is not relevant ... just rhetoric to make a case that doesn't even relate.
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  • Reply 50 of 68
    kmareikmarei Posts: 223member
    let's please diffrentiate between jailbreaking and pirating apps

    they are not the same thing

    you like all the fancy new features on the new iOS5?

    you can thank the jailbreakers for the majority of them

    I have many jailbreaks that improve the iphone

    i have 5 day weather forcast on the lock screen

    i have a small mail icon that appears when i have new mail, as opposed to having to unlock the phone to see if i have a 1 next to the mail icon

    i can clear up memory

    i have increased the size of my memory (syslceanpro)

    i can turn on and off wifi/bluetooh/data/3g with one swipe

    so jailbreaking does not cut into apples bottom line

    in fact it adds to the pro's of the iphone/ipod touch/ipad
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  • Reply 51 of 68
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kmarei View Post


    you like all the fancy new features on the new iOS5?

    you can thank the jailbreakers for the majority of them



    No?



    Quote:

    i have increased the size of my memory (syslceanpro)







    Quote:

    so jailbreaking does not cut into apples bottom line



    Sure it doesn't.
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  • Reply 52 of 68
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Habañero View Post


    totally agree THAT should be illegal, but the carriers claim Apple is the one who won't provide the unlock code.

    (AT&T happily provided the unlock code for my RAZR when I completed my contract, since Motorola gave it to them)



    Apple is the one keeping your iPhone locked, not your carrier (one more reason jailbreaking should remain legal)



    That's rubbish, here in Australia you can legally unlock an iPhone as soon as you buy it (well it takes a couple of days for Apple to update their database and requires a restore), all it requires is a phonecall or entering your IMEI on a carriers website.



    We also sell them outright as PAYG.
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  • Reply 53 of 68
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kcartesius View Post


    Apple used to be cool, innovative, but now it's more focused on control than anything else.



    You can still do pretty much what you want with Pro, iMac and MacBook, so I use them, but move to Linux more every day. Linux don't tell you what you may do, see.



    I remember when I got one of the first iPhones available over here. Enormous enthusiasm, but that faded very quickly when it became apparent that



    1) The phone was locked to an operator - unheard of here, then.

    2) It had to be activated on the internet before you could use it.

    3) One could not run anything but allowed apps on it.



    Additionally, when the phone didn't show up like any USB stick in the Finder, I gave up. I now use an old Nokia as a simple telephone, and the iPhone as a dictaphone and guitar tuner only.



    So, let's see. Your point is that Apple and its developers should allow pirates and thieves to take advantage of them because you weren't paying attention when you signed your phone contract?
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  • Reply 54 of 68
    sporlosporlo Posts: 143member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post


    Jailbreaking is not a crime. Great motto. I'd be very much interested to know what percent of people *don't* use jail breaking to enable theft of apps.



    It's like electronic keys. There's a few legit uses for them. But most uses are nefarious.



    I see that a bunch of people have reported that they do NOT use jailbreaking for pirated apps, but I don't know anyone at my school who doesn't use jailbreaking for the express purpose of getting apps for free. It's not like they're rampant downloaders or anything, but whenever I talk to people who do it, they mention how they don't have to pay for any of their apps.



    I'm all for jailbreaking for fun and extra functionality (although that guy talking about the EULA has a point). Protections for the general process of jailbreaking are fine, but from my experience, you're only doing it for a small percentage of users. In other words, I'm not going to get too worked up about it.
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  • Reply 55 of 68
    Jailbreaking should absolutely be kept legal. You bought the thing, and it's nobody's business, not even Apple's, what you do with it. If you want to install Flash on it or make it run Android, that's your business too. Apple doesn't own your iPhone, you do.
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  • Reply 56 of 68
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kmarei View Post


    you like all the fancy new features on the new iOS5?

    you can thank the jailbreakers for the majority of them



    Really?

    Perhaps you can give some examples of features in iOS 5 that Apple got from

    jailbreakers?
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  • Reply 57 of 68
    Freedom will always come out on top over time.
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  • Reply 58 of 68
    stelligentstelligent Posts: 2,680member
    EFF is jailbreakers' BFF.
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  • Reply 59 of 68
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Sporlo View Post


    I see that a bunch of people have reported that they do NOT use jailbreaking for pirated apps, but I don't know anyone at my school who doesn't use jailbreaking for the express purpose of getting apps for free. It's not like they're rampant downloaders or anything, but whenever I talk to people who do it, they mention how they don't have to pay for any of their apps.



    I'm all for jailbreaking for fun and extra functionality (although that guy talking about the EULA has a point). Protections for the general process of jailbreaking are fine, but from my experience, you're only doing it for a small percentage of users. In other words, I'm not going to get too worked up about it.



    That tells me you're a kid. Kids do stupid stuff. You and your peers will eventually grow up. Some people (maybe even most) use jail breaking for perfectly legal and functional purposes.
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  • Reply 60 of 68
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chris_CA View Post


    Really?

    Perhaps you can give some examples of features in iOS 5 that Apple got from

    jailbreakers?



    Using the volume button to snap a picture. And the entire notification center.
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