New York authorities ask Apple, Google to help stop smartphone thefts
The Attorney General for the state of New York has asked Apple and other tech leaders to do more to stop smartphone thieves and, further, aid in the elimination of a growing black market for the stolen devices.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wrote Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung last week asking that the companies develop technologies to do their part to curb smartphone theft, according to Bloomberg. Schneiderman's letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook called the company to task on not implementing tech to cut down on theft.
?I seek to understand," Schneiderman wrote, "why companies that can develop sophisticated handheld electronics, such as the products manufactured by Apple, cannot also create technology to render stolen devices inoperable and thereby eliminate the expanding black market on which they are sold.?
Schneiderman's letters came just days after a piece in The New York Times called out Apple and other manufacturers, saying that the telecoms companies essentially profited off smartphone theft. In that piece, San Francisco district attorney George Gasc?n said he had met with Apple to discuss antitheft technology, but that Apple had given no indication that they were interested in implementing such technology.
Currently, a number of antitheft technologies are already built into many smartphones. Users can track stolen iOS devices with Apple's iCloud-based "Find My iPhone" service, while AT&T offers a system that blocks stolen iPhones from accessing its network.
Critics say those efforts don't deter thieves who will typically hack a device to erase all of its data and render it essentially brand new. Schneiderman addressed the issue in his letter to Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.
?Foreign trafficking of stolen devices has proliferated," he wrote, "and an abundance of domestic black market resellers, including right here in New York, means as a practical matter that phones do not, contrary to your website?s assertion, become unusable.?
Last year it was reported that thefts of Apple devices alone caused a 14 percent jump in crime in New York city.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman wrote Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung last week asking that the companies develop technologies to do their part to curb smartphone theft, according to Bloomberg. Schneiderman's letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook called the company to task on not implementing tech to cut down on theft.
?I seek to understand," Schneiderman wrote, "why companies that can develop sophisticated handheld electronics, such as the products manufactured by Apple, cannot also create technology to render stolen devices inoperable and thereby eliminate the expanding black market on which they are sold.?
Schneiderman's letters came just days after a piece in The New York Times called out Apple and other manufacturers, saying that the telecoms companies essentially profited off smartphone theft. In that piece, San Francisco district attorney George Gasc?n said he had met with Apple to discuss antitheft technology, but that Apple had given no indication that they were interested in implementing such technology.
Currently, a number of antitheft technologies are already built into many smartphones. Users can track stolen iOS devices with Apple's iCloud-based "Find My iPhone" service, while AT&T offers a system that blocks stolen iPhones from accessing its network.
Critics say those efforts don't deter thieves who will typically hack a device to erase all of its data and render it essentially brand new. Schneiderman addressed the issue in his letter to Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.
?Foreign trafficking of stolen devices has proliferated," he wrote, "and an abundance of domestic black market resellers, including right here in New York, means as a practical matter that phones do not, contrary to your website?s assertion, become unusable.?
Last year it was reported that thefts of Apple devices alone caused a 14 percent jump in crime in New York city.
Comments
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, it's called "Find My iPhone"... Ever heard of it?
Dear New York,
Do your own job, idiots.
-Tim Cook
Sent from my iPad
You mean there isn't a NY law that says it is illegal to steal? And if they do have such a law, and someone violates said law, isn't it up to law enforcement to find and prosecute said violator? Isn't preserving the peace the job of peace officers and not Apple?! Has our government on all levels seem to have dumbed down in recent years...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rot'nApple
Apple to NY, "Sure... We'll include a semi-automatic firearm with every iPhone purchase and raise the price to $$$$. We'll call it "The more Bang for your Buck!" promotion.
You mean there isn't a NY law that says it is illegal to steal? And if they do have such a law, and someone violates said law, isn't it up to law enforcement to find and prosecute said violator? Isn't preserving the peace the job of peace officers and not Apple?! Has our government on all levels seem to have dumbed down in recent years...
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Gun regulations that have harmed the legal protection of property and persons by the citizens of New York have allowed the criminal underclass to grow as fast as the NY rat and cockroach population.
The iPhone probably does more to deter theft than any other electronics product in history, but still this guy is "confused" as to why Apple doesn't implement some magical technology to stop thefts?
Before the iPhone there was nothing. Nothing.
Now he's complaining and blaming Apple?
Make it illegal to sell iPhones in NY city and confiscate all iPhones at the city limits from those wishing to enter. Then outlaw jewelry, expensive cars, and all popular electronics. That ought to drop thefts to a trickle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazoobee
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Apropos of nothing, I just saw the "banned" list in your sig. I LOL'ed. Especially because of the inclusion of TEKSTUD and DaHarder.
What other product has this responsibility? Do cars become unusable when stolen? They have been around for much longer. Does the average consumer want privacy or do they want the phone tracked out of the whaazoo so they can catch the black market.
How about instead of rousting every man of color wearing a hoodie and having them turn there pockets inside out (illegal search) and arresting them for a joint, they spend there money stopping these criminals. They phone thief is much more likely to be violent then the mani walking home from the store with milk.
Why is this the manufacturers problem when it is obviously the people in New York that are the thieves. I dare say my phone has much more security than damn near anything else I own. It came that way from Apple.
NY's Attorney General is an idiot. Seriously, what can Apple do to stop a thief from stealing a phone? Absolutely nothing. A criminal is going to commit crimes with no regard to the law. Besides Find My Phone, you can setup password protected restrictions so location services can't be disabled and you can hide the icon that shows your phone is being tracked.
Did you write that in the 70s? NYC is one of the safest cities in the US.
New York can be a rough neighborhood. iPhone users should be smart enough to not put their valuables on display while in the transit system. If you have to travel in those areas, perhaps you should get a small inexpensive iPod for listening to music. Keep the iPod in plain view and keep the iPhone, iPad out of sight.
I think everyone has covered it already. Well done!
Maybe the brazen beating wouldn't have happened had she not resisted. You're math is off, 100,000 stolen cell phones lead to another 100,000 that wouldn't have been sold because the first 100,000 need replacing, and that's 100,000 extra iPhones on Apple's ecosystem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich
Apropos of nothing, I just saw the "banned" list in your sig. I LOL'ed. Especially because of the inclusion of TEKSTUD and DaHarder.
Well I've long since stopped caring who is who or wasting my time tracking them. I guess you are implying that you think DaHarder and TECKSTUD are the same person? Or that you are the same person? It doesn't really matter either way.
The list is the list. If someone acts like a complete asshole (IMO of course), or is someone who isn't interested in a civilised argument or debate, they go on the list. I don't clean off the list or try to figure out if there are doubles. The list is actually too long to fit in my sig, so there are more people in it than are visible.
The only reason I put it in my sig is that the previous anti-religion message got me a lot of flak and there was a short period where so many meanies joined the forum ("Flaneur" etc.), that I was updating it every day. I've no doubt that most of them are not even here anymore since trolls generally don't last.
Interestingly, there is no one on my list that hasn't at some point or other revealed themselves to be male.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, it's called "Find My iPhone"... Ever heard of it?
99% of thieves are smart enough to turn the phone off as soon as they steal it. Then all they need to do is perform a reset and they've got a fresh iPhone for sale.
Has Apple made strides towards hindering thieves? Yes. Could they do more? Yes.
Apple might want to consider a system where it's impossible to turn a phone off without entering a passcode (difficult as the power switch interacts with the software at a very low level but probably not beyond Apple) or forcing the user to enter a passcode when they flash/wipe a device in iTunes. These are two ideas just off the top of my head; I'm sure there's even better ways to stop thieves.
Most police forces could do more too though.
Maybe if the idiot midget of a mayor wasn't busy banning sodas, banning stores from displaying cigarettes, trying to ban guns everywhere, and infringing upon the rights and freedoms of all citizens, NYC would have a bit more time to spend on theft, and catching real criminals, which has been rising and growing out of control.
The best and easiest way to protect against smartphone theft in NYC is to be aware of your surroundings and don't pull out your phone when surrounded by low class and suspicious looking individuals. You might as well pull out a big stack of hundred dollar bills and flash them around. I've never had anything stolen from me in NYC yet, and I've taken the subways at all hours of the day and night, because I know how to spot lowlifes from a mile away.
2) I've said this many times but I'll say it again, Apple should make any hard power cycle force a restart (not simply turning off the device) and require a PIN to do a soft shutdown. This wouldn't prevent someone who planned ahead from using a container of some sort that can block radio waves but it may prevent and catch the more opportunistic crimes. Also, add a PIN code option to Settings since a phone that is obtained within x-duration can was have the perp go into Setting to enable Airplane Mode.
3) Why doesn't Android have a similar feature to Find My iPhone? Why is it still called Find My iPhone?