NYT article accuses Apple of not doing enough to prevent iPhone thefts

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  • Reply 81 of 152

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ecs View Post


    I agree with the article. One of the things that disappointed me when I got my iPhone was that it doesn't have a ROM-encoded serial number (I mean non-writable non-erasable ROM, unlike NVRAM which can be rewritten). A solution like that would turn iPhones very hard to steal... criminals would need to disassemble the unit, and replace the ROM chip. Hard to do. This would certainly stop teenagers-friends thefts.


     


    If it had that ROM serial number, you simply call Apple "hey, my iPhone was stolen", then Apple blacklists your serial number, and no phone operator would allow such unit anymore. Case closed. Just make the ROM chip very hard to replace (so that you easily break the iPhone if you want to remove it), and nobody will care to steal iPhones anymore.



    See, this ignores the whole issue of privacy.  Not to mention security.  I may not want my phone to be a non-resettable ID tracking device.  I may not want a government or a phone company to be able to have that degree of information on a minute-by-minute basis about me.  Furthermore, suppose my ex-girlfrind calls  the phone company and tell them "hey my iPhone was stolen" and give them my number... then suddenly I'm either arrested or my phone is bricked.  Nice.  Imagine someone having the ability to "brick" the phone belonging to a policeman... a senator... a military general... a high political officer... White House chief of staff....  Imagine the potential for industrial snooping (the location info) or the potential for blackmail (bricking a CEO's phone).  


     


    Noooo... what you suggest is way too simplistic, IMO.

  • Reply 82 of 152
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member


    Originally Posted by jfc1138 View Post


    The only thing I can think of is a bricking code that just slags the phone. But I'd think anything that is doable from a distance is probably reversable by someone with enough tech, unless the phone is physically disabled in some permanent way....



     


    The bad guys could immediately power down the iPhone, take it into the nearest Faraday cage, and work on it at their leisure.  (See "Enemy of the State," 1998, Will Smith, Gene Hackman.)


     


    One way to counter that is to implement a timeout that will begin if the phone hasn't connected to a cell network after some interval.  It would force the user to enter their passcode, then brick the phone if they don't.  And it would continue to count even after a hard reset and wipe.  (I'm sure Apple has worked out something like that, since the government is supposedly considering using iPhones for "high security uses.")

  • Reply 83 of 152

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post




    How's about writing this instead:



    "Recently, I had a friend's roll of $700 that got stolen in a Jersey mall.  He just put the money down for 5-10 seconds while attending to their kids where it got swiped..."



    Why is carelessly putting down a $700 phone be more important than say, putting down that much in cash and not expecting anything?



    Because he was sitting right next to it and had to wipe the kid's face.


     


    With your logic... that's like saying Hot Blonde's who walk in mini skirts and not Burka's deserved to be raped.

  • Reply 84 of 152
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macxpress View Post


     


    Well if you don't have some kind of solution then you can't bitch about it. Why is it Apple's responsibility for YOUR phone?



    What a daft response. Who said anything about it being Apple's 'responsibility'?!


     


    Ugh. Learn to read. Before posting.

  • Reply 85 of 152
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SockRolid View Post





    (I'm sure Apple has worked out something like that, since the government is supposedly considering using iPhones for "high security uses.")




    Excellent point.

  • Reply 86 of 152
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jfc1138 View Post


    It's way after the fact, but did you try calling your phone while the sheriff was talking to the guy? I had to resort to that once when I misplaced the thing in my house.... miught have been the only time I used my landline that whole Summer....



     


    Yes, I tried calling from my wife's iPhone but he had powered off my iPhone moments after he parked his car and before the sheriff arrived. Apple should not allow LOCKED iPhones to be powered off without a password.

  • Reply 87 of 152
    jd_in_sbjd_in_sb Posts: 1,600member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by malax View Post


     


    "Without white colored cars, the number of car thefts would be down overall for 2012."


     


    "Without left handed people, the number of homicides would be down overall for 2012."


     


    All equally useful probably true statements.





    Great analogy!

  • Reply 88 of 152
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    So Apple doesn't do enough to stop resetting of phones by thieves, to deny service to stolen phones etc. but then if they do these things, especially the baseband level stuff, the privacy groups will flame on over how they are blocking privacy rights. And then there's the whole bashing of Apple playing cop and all the risks of abuse. But then if they say they require a police report etc they are being too strict.

    And so on.

    So basically they can't win
  • Reply 89 of 152
    jungmarkjungmark Posts: 6,926member
    lkrupp wrote: »
    A stolen iPhone goes for $500? How much for a stolen Galaxy S3?

    Trick question. Who wants to steal a Galaxy phone.
    Car companies are doing a lot. Educate yourself. (Also, read the NYT article). Moreover, taking out an iPhone to make a call or watch a video or listen to a song or surf the web is not "flashing a pricey product in public." Do you use yours only in private?

    Apple has dropped the ball on this. That is simply a fact. Don't get so defensive.

    Do you count your cash or take your wallet out in public? Leave your car keys dangling by your side? People can't be oblivious to their surroundings.
  • Reply 90 of 152
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member
    scott523 wrote: »
    Apple has done their part to prevent thefts. It's the consumers that need to do their part.

    However, I wished there was a way not to allow a thief to turn off the iDevice by holding the sleep button.

    Even if they did, there would likely be a way to get past it, just like there is now for pass codes. Someone would figure it out and share it with the world
  • Reply 91 of 152
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by aleksivic View Post


    Because he was sitting right next to it and had to wipe the kid's face.


     


    With your logic... that's like saying Hot Blonde's who walk in mini skirts and not Burka's deserved to be raped.





    You're comparing an expensive phone/roll of money being carelessly left behind to a woman being raped for doing absolutely nothing?  



    Not only are you being an epic idiot for even bringing up that subject and comparison, you're not even worth the effort to make any further discussion.  Consider yourself blocked newbie.  Have a nice life Einstein, sad as it is.

  • Reply 92 of 152
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member


    The NY Times isn't doing enough to ensure people have access to their web site. Something about a paywall... For "the greater good" they should remove the paywall and make all of their services completely free. /s

  • Reply 93 of 152
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jd_in_sb View Post


     


    Yes, I tried calling from my wife's iPhone but he had powered off my iPhone moments after he parked his car and before the sheriff arrived. Apple should not allow LOCKED iPhones to be powered off without a password.



    Yes, that does seem a simple fix doesn't it?


     


    Then with your idea any passworded phone would provide an opportunity window for tracking etc. immediately after when the phone would potentially still be in the area.

  • Reply 94 of 152
    dbtincdbtinc Posts: 134member
    It's not just apple it's any of the companies who make these types of products. Seems simple enough that once a device is reported as lost or stolen that the service provider issues an order to destroy the firmware. Used to have thumb drives that did just that if you exceeded the number of log in attempts.
  • Reply 95 of 152
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SockRolid View Post


     


    The bad guys could immediately power down the iPhone, take it into the nearest Faraday cage, and work on it at their leisure.  (See "Enemy of the State," 1998, Will Smith, Gene Hackman.)


     


    One way to counter that is to implement a timeout that will begin if the phone hasn't connected to a cell network after some interval.  It would force the user to enter their passcode, then brick the phone if they don't.  And it would continue to count even after a hard reset and wipe.  (I'm sure Apple has worked out something like that, since the government is supposedly considering using iPhones for "high security uses.")



    jd_in_sb had a partial answer to that. Block a password protected phone from being powered off without entering the password.

  • Reply 96 of 152
    tomjavatomjava Posts: 11member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SockRolid View Post


     


    The bad guys could immediately power down the iPhone, take it into the nearest Faraday cage, and work on it at their leisure.  (See "Enemy of the State," 1998, Will Smith, Gene Hackman.)


     


    One way to counter that is to implement a timeout that will begin if the phone hasn't connected to a cell network after some interval.  It would force the user to enter their passcode, then brick the phone if they don't.  And it would continue to count even after a hard reset and wipe.  (I'm sure Apple has worked out something like that, since the government is supposedly considering using iPhones for "high security uses.")



     


    Thank you all.  Hopefully, Apple has something on iOS7 to resolve this annoying theft issue.

  • Reply 97 of 152
    retrogustoretrogusto Posts: 1,109member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post




    The woman in the article, Rose Cha had her iPhone stolen THREE TIMES.  At what point does this woman stop to think for a moment that she needs to change something about her behavior that makes her a magnet for getting mugged?

     



    Ha! Yeah, I've known Rose well for years, and she's sweet but she could probably benefit from a change of behavior. I'm not joking.

  • Reply 98 of 152
    lightstrikerlightstriker Posts: 458member


    "Without Apple product thefts, crime would have been down overall for 2012."

    - Mayor Bloomberg


     


    The NYPD did nearly 700,000 Stop and Frisk in 2011 and 533,000 last year. Have they recover one iPhone? 


     


    http://newyork.newsday.com/news/new-york/nypd-stop-and-frisk-nyc-mayor-michael-bloomberg-defends-policies-1.5170199?qr=1


    http://www.nyclu.org/node/1598


  • Reply 99 of 152
    see flatsee flat Posts: 145member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pedromartins View Post


    Another one...


     


    Lack of responsibility? So I can't check an SMS because some bastard might be watching? Hey, don't be a retard. The only one that is guilty is ALWAYS the guy that choses to become trash and steals something.



    Do you lock your car doors?


    Do you put a  lock on your bicycle when going to get a coffee downtown?


    Do you leave your wallet on a table in a restaurant?


     


    Phone (no matter the brand), laptop, mp3 player. 


     


    All the same thing. It's your stuff, be vigilant

  • Reply 100 of 152
    I had to recently replace my wife's iPhone because it was stolen. She was at fault for leaving it in an unlocked car in our suburban garage with the door open. The creepy part was the idea of having someone going through our property at 530 am while we were sleeping there. I have some ideas of how to improve security around our house.

    Apple is not "at fault" for my wife's carelessness. It would be nice if the difficulty of selling an iPhone could be increased. I am pretty sure that a powered down iPhone is good currency for any drug the user requires. It turns out there are at least 6 or 8 people willing to buy stolen gas at 7 or 8 am on Saturday as well or someone is set up to collect gas as well. I would like my gas station to have a camera collecting all license plates of gas buyer's. It would be a strong perk for the device if it was very difficult to turn it off without a password. We were already looking for the device by 10 am and realized it was stolen by 10:30. If there were someway to add security to the device and track it better, I would be quite pleased.
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