The Mike
In the Pixels
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2006
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Interesting if this actually comes through....
Future iPhones may decide what you can film and take photos of
Right now, iPhones and other smartphones have become the the dominant way for most people to get spontaneous photo and videos. But imagine a future where you’re at a concert and you pull out your iPhone 6 or whatever and suddenly the record button doesn’t work, because the iPhone thinks that you don’t have the proper permissions to take video. That’s something that Apple recently filed a patent for.
Apple has filed a patent that could help combat the latter, though still hinder the former. That is: a patent that protects intellectual property rights, but treats everyone like a potential pirate, rather than a valued customer.
The patent deals with making the iPhone sensitive to infrared signals, the kind that could let the device know that it’s somewhere where filming and photography aren’t welcome. A movie theater, for instance, shoots out these IR beams to interact with hearing aids for the impaired, and a museum or art gallery could put up receivers to let phones know they aren’t welcome.
This is all in the name of piracy, and some point out that this could be used for the better to “enhance” one’s experience while recording, but the scary part is that these IR signals could easily be used to block photography or video recording anywhere— including rallies, protests and by the police.
Big Brother is watching you take pictures.
