Jailbreaking might now be legal but that doesn’t mean Apple isn’t giving up on thwarting our freedom to do so.
According to the “Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device” patent that was filed back in February and published last week Apple would be able to remotely identify and wipe devices that have been hacked, jailbroken, unlocked or those without a SIM card. Before taking any action it seems as though Apple would notify the owner via e-mail or text message when anything suspicious is flagged.
(More: Apple’s Greatest Hits and Misses)
One particular security measure would enable the camera to be activated in order to geolocate the device’s whereabouts. But that’s not all.
In some embodiments, an unauthorized user can be detected by comparing the identity of the current user to the identities of authorized users of the electronic device. For example, a photograph of the current user can be taken, a recording of the current user’s voice can be recorded, the heartbeat of the current user can be recorded, or any combination of the above. The photograph, recording, or heartbeat can be compared, respectively, to a photograph, recording, or heartbeat of authorized users of the electronic device to determine whether they match. If they do not match, the current user can be detected as an unauthorized user.
This would in effect give Apple the power to restrict access to certain applications or wipe and brick your device altogether.
[via CBS]
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