Apple Patents Remotely Disabling Jailbroken Phones

An anonymous reader writes "Apple yesterday applied for a patent to allow remotely disabling electronic devices when 'unauthorized usage' is detected. The patent application covers using the camera to take pictures of the unauthorized user and using GPS to determine location, and it involves ascertaining whether the phone has been hacked or jailbroken, using those as criteria for detecting 'suspicious behavior.' The patent would allow the carrier or any other 'authorized' party to disable or restrict the functionality of the device. Is this Apple's latest tool to thwart jailbreaking?"

Geek hit squads?

[Drakkenmensch]

You'll never hear their electric cars pull up to you while you're busy playing that homebrew game and four muscular guys with horn-rimmed glasses step out to beat you up with their Einstein-tatooed gigantic arms...

Re:Just because it's patented...

[ArsenneLupin]

...doesn't mean it's legal, right?

On the contrary, because it's patented, it is now illegal for anybody else to do this, which is a good thing :-)

So, from now on, as long as you avoid the iPhone like the plague it is, you should be safe against the threat of your phone manufacturer spying on you...

Re:FUD

[bsDaemon]

Jailbreaking is already legal. What use would it be to take a photo of a jailbroken user?

If someone broke out of jail and got their hands on an iphone, I imagine having a picture and location information would be very useful to the police. But that's probably not what you meant.

Re:Just because it's patented...

[Anonymous Coward]

If Google has to remotely brick the Andoid phones because of the unauthorized usage of Oracle's patents, will they have to licence this technology to be able to do it legally?

Re:Unauthorised by whom?

[mysidia]

A school district tried this and barely avoided having officials brought before a grand jury and indicted.

Perhaps we will get to see Mr. Jobs wearing iStripes in the iPrison? Or iPrisonUniform in the iAlcatrez.

Re:Just don't buy Apple products anymore

[lxs]

I tried that, but due to this new technology I can't successfully steal them anymore.

Re:Just because it's patented...

[camperdave]

So, from now on, as long as you avoid the iPhone like the plague it is, you should be safe against the threat of your phone manufacturer spying on you...

Hahahaha! [wipes tear] Oh, man. I needed that.

Re:Just because it's patented...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hi. My name is AppleFanboy. I see this patent as Steve Jobs dick gently caressing and protecting me form what other evil companies might do. Nothing to see here. Move along.

Theft IS legal...

[RingDev]

If you work on Wall street.

-Rick

Re:Just because it's patented...

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe it's because I haven't had my morning coffee yet, but there is something irritating about sitting down to read /. in the morning and first thing reading a bunch of posts by people that clearly haven't bothered to read the article (I know, this is /. and I shouldn't really expect anyone to read anything) and spouting off bullshit as if it were the gospel.

Why are you reading this before coffee? Repeat after me, coffee before /. makes me a calm boy.