Apple has patented a piece of technology which would allow government and
police to block transmission of information, including video and photographs,
from any public gathering or venue they deem “sensitive”, and “protected from
externalities.”
In other words, these powers will have control over what can and cannot be
documented on wireless devices during any public event.
And while the company says the affected sites are to be mostly cinemas,
theaters, concert grounds and similar locations, Apple Inc. also says “covert
police or government operations may require complete ‘blackout’ conditions.”
And those who think that this is not coming for Android in the future are
deluded. If Apple managed to get this technology into the field, it is only a
matter of time that Android handset manufacturers are forced to incorporate this
as well. If the technology exists, in today’s post 9/11 world, it is difficult
to resist government pressure on such matters.
Of course, it would be interesting to see the security features for this tech,
as this is very likely to be abused - by repressive governments (read, every
one) as well as criminal enterprise (recording-free drug zones everybody?)
