Apple released Find my iPhone , which gives you the ability to remotely track your lost or stolen iOS device, as an app in June 10 for MobileMe customers, and was initially available only for some devices. However, with the launch of iCloud, the service became free for all iCloud users.
It is not fool proof, but with the introduction of Activation Lock in iOS 7 it has certainly become better, and one of my favorite features of iOS. It is nice to know that someone who has stolen your device cannot use it, and it has also come in handy when I occasionally end up misplacing my iPhone.
New York Times [1] raises a valid concern about services like Find My iPhone. The report points out that law enforcement officials in the U.S. are concerned with the emergence of such services as people are putting themselves in danger in the desperation to recover their devices, and are taking disproportionate risks for something that can be replaced.
While we’ve heard several instances of how services like Find My iPhone have helped in recovering the device, it could also result in violence.
In San Diego, a construction worker who said his iPhone had been stolen at a reggae concert chased the pilferer and wound up in a fistfight on the beach [2] that a police officer had to break up. A New Jersey man ended up in custody [3] himself after he used GPS technology to track his lost iPhone and attacked the wrong man, mis taking him for the thief.
Cmdr. Andrew Smith, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department is concerned about this trend. He says “It’s just a phone â€" it’s not worth losing your life over. Let police officers take care of it. We have backup, guns, radio, jackets â€" all that stuff civilians don’t have.â€
I would agree. It is very alluring to put your detective hat on and confront the person who has stolen your iPhone or iPad, but it is just not worth the risk as you don’t know what kind of situation you’ll end up in. The best way to channel your anger would be to provide the information to law enforcement officials so they can catch the thief, and recover your device. To be able to do that you should ensure Find my iPhone is enabled on your device (you can check this article to find out how to do it), which will also ensure that the person who has stolen it cannot use it, which could deter the person from committing the crime again.
Links
- ^ New York Times (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ wound up in a fistfight on the beach (www.theblaze.com)
- ^ ended up in custody (www.nj.com)
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