Several viral posts are saying that Apple is helping “cops hide police brutality” but it’s probably not close to the truth.
The reports claim that Apple is going to implement technology in its phones that allow police to switch them off at will via WiFi to avoid being taped and photographed.
The reports then say that it’s an attempt to “hide police brutality.”
Apple has been granted a patent that allows for the “enforcement of policies upon a wireless device,” which can be used for covert police and government operations to black out phones.
“However, the patent description discusses many other possible applications of the technology that are not related to police operations in any way. And, despite the glaring headlines in some of the reports, the technology has not yet been implemented and Apple is not developing it specifically for police to use. Nor is there any indication of when - or if - Apple will roll out the patented technology. Like many other emerging technologies, this patent does indeed raise privacy concerns,” says a report from Hoax-Slayer.
And while the technology raises questions about their application, “it is equally important that such reports provide accurate and up-to-date information ... Churning out breathless, disingenuous and overblown diatribes about such issues just muddies the water and is ultimately counterproductive,” the website states.
As of Friday, the report about “police brutality” has nearly 100,000 shares on Facebook.
