Well, this is interesting. Apple has patented technology that could allow the police to block transmission of videos, photographs and other information from leaving geofenced locations.
Apple intends for its use to be mostly limited to cinemas, theaters, concert venues and other such locations, but also adds that police and authorities could utilize this on/off switch.
Here’s what Apple had to say about the technology, via ZDNet:
That sounds innocuous, but here’s the alarming part:
That second quote has some believing that authorities could use this technology to block information leaving the scene of geofenced protests and rallies.
Though Apple has been granted this patent, it doesn’t necessarily mean the company will utilize it in its mobile devices soon. It’s worth noting that patented technologies don’t always end up in on-shelf products.
