Apple Patent Filing Seeks to Remotely Disable iPhone for “Unauthorized Activity”

Apple continues to frown on jailbreaking and has recently seemed to condemn it all-together. Apple has recently filed a patent application which will allow it to remotely disable any iDevices detected of having any unauthorized activity.

The patent titled "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device" will allow Apple to detect and stop any suspicious activity such as entering an incorrect password a predetermined number of times or within a period of time, hacking, jailbreaking or unlocking the iOS-based device.

Apple’s initial response to legalized jailbreaking stated that: “unauthorized modification of the iOS violates the warranty of the iOS-based device.” This recent patent filing makes this statement stronger and makes it more difficult to jailbreak Apple iOS devices.

Apple indicated that its intention is to protect iPhone users from an unauthorized user who tries to access the device. However, the description of unauthorized activity, especially as to jailbreaking and unlocking, is questionable because the patent doesn’t provide details on whether Apple alone or the owner of the device will have the ability to remotely disable the device.

Details of the patent indicate that Apple’s device “could automatically snap pictures of the unauthorized user and record the GPS coordinates of the device, as well as log keystrokes, phone calls, or other activity. Once an unauthorized user is detected, the device can then automatically disable certain features or send notifications to Twitter or other services.”

In its Abstract, the patent application indicated the following:

"This is generally directed to identifying unauthorized users of an electronic device. In some embodiments, an unauthorized user of an electronic device can be detected by identifying particular activities that may indicate suspicious behavior. In some embodiments, an unauthorized user can be detected by comparing the identity of the current user to the identity of the owner of the electronic device. When an unauthorized user is detected, various safety measures can be taken. For example, information related to the identity of the unauthorized user, the unauthorized user’s operation of the electronic device, or the current location of the electronic device can be gathered. As another example, functions of the electronic device can be restricted. In some embodiments, the owner of the electronic device can be notified of the unauthorized user by sending an alert notification through any suitable medium, such as, for example, a voice mail, e-mail or text message."