Apple’s recent patent that would block piracy at concerts via an invisible infrared sensor has been more hotly contested than a bootleg Beatles’ concert performance.
The SavetheInternet.com Coalition, which claims some two million members plus charter members including Lawrence Lessig and the ACLU, wants Steve Jobs to reconsider. And they want you to sign an online petition to get his attention.
The petition starts out as a basic “Dear Steve” letter:
“As you know, smartphones are extensions of ourselves: They are incredibly powerful tools for communication, education, political expression, community organizing and plain fun.
And then moves on to larger issues of free speech that probably aren’t on the minds of people recording concerts or surrepitiously capturing the “Green Lantern” in a movie theater:
“That’s why I’m concerned that Apple wants to patent a sensor that would detect when people are using their phone cameras — and give corporations the power to shut them down. And as we’ve seen in Egypt and elsewhere, the images and videos we take with our phones can be powerful forms of free speech. That’s why governments and businesses that feel threatened by the democratizing nature of mobile devices are doing what they can to control how we use them.
If this tool fell into the hands of repressive regimes or malicious corporations, it would give tyrants and companies the power to silence one of the most critical forms of free expression.
I urge you to immediately stop plans to develop cellphone censorship technology.”
What do you think — is this an issue that goes beyond bootlegging?
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco freelance writer who heads up Cult of Mac Magazine, our weekly publication available on iTunes. You can find her on Twitter and Google+. If you’re doing something new, cool and Apple-related, email her.
60 responses to “Internet freedom group launches petition: “Dear Apple, Don’t Shut Down My Phone Camera””
People are soooo stupid! It’s not Apple’s tech, their patent is for implementation of the tech so it’s not their fault or really anything they are doing. Why not go after the creators of the technology?
Also, I’m not totally up on the details, but it couldn’t work in a riot/dictator situation AFAIK. The tech is about sensing that copyrighted music or video is playing. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a codec for identifying tanks or mean thoughts.
Voice your opinion at http://DearApple.com
I don’t need Steve to tell me when to use my iPhone camera.
Or anything else for that matter.
I also don’t really need an iPhone anymore, now that the Droids are so similar.
And I won’t be getting a new one if this feature is implemented.
Simple as that.
You really have to be some kind of fanboy to have that take. If Apple doesn’t implement the technology, it falls in the forest without making a sound. Who, exactly, gets to decide what is and isn’t copyrightable? What if the police decide that your filming them as they beat someone up or otherwise act inappropriately is a violation? This is the slipperiest slope I’ve seen in quite sometime–and btw, I kept wondering when/if COM was going to get around to this.
If Apple does this, I am so dumping this phone and going to android
Are you seriously that ignorant? Copyrights are applied to intellectual property. If you had ever had a decent conversation in your life, or perhaps a legitimate debate, you would realize how ridiculous the thought of a lawyer defending something like a police beating as “copyrighted” materiel. Absolutely ridiculous.
So long as the technology has what can and cannot be recorded built directly into it and not monitored from outside, then I don’t see the problem. Sure it could be really annoying, but that’ll hurt Apple’s PR image and so I don’t really think they’ll do it.
I have nothing against stopping piracy, but I don’t see how this would work. How are you going to take pictures of your friends at a concert then? And like people brought up, what would stop law enforcement from using this against civilians? Troubling
Um, they want to patent the technology for concerts which I think is an amazing idea. At a Green Day concert the lead singer said “Put away your f***ing cell phones. The memories are the ones you have in here [your head]!” which is a great point, you know how many times I’ve been clawed at in the pit at rock shows because people want to get a picture. In addition, most venues do not allow photography. This petition assumes Apple is going to sell or widley use this technology else where which is a HUGE assumption. I wouldn’t sign this petition if it came with a free iPhone. Thumbs down.
…and this comment is under the assumption that Apple is developing such technology. Another unknown because although a patent exists, it doesn’t mean it’s in implementation or development by any means.
One of us isn’t a very good reader or can’t extrapolate. Those were two separate questions that I asked, one having to do with copyrightable material, the other with authority that could conceivably implement the same technology. If you check law professor blogs today, you’ll see the these fears expressed. It’s funny to me that many of the same people who burned up their 56K modems with Napster now see nothing wrong with expanding the concept of copyright just because Steve says so. Remember the “1984 won’t be like 1984” ad? Yep. Meet the new boss; same as the old boss.
You can bet that Apple will charge music labels for this functionality. They have no problem with limiting your freedom for a few bucks… until too many people bitch about it.
A better technology to pursue would be one which forces all phones to a “courtesy” mode in certain areas. I picture all phones switch to silent alert when a movie starts or “emergency calls only” mode. There should be nothing that prohibits you from using your phone if you really feel it is necessary but something that would remind us all to be courteous.
Agreed. It WILL be patented. The question is, who’s going to be holding the reins? I’d rather it was Apple than an IP trollhouse.
“Put away your f***ing cell phones. The memories are the ones you have in here [your head]!”
Or buy the ‘official’ prints from their web store. Yea like in their heads.
I think it’s hilarious that people think this will actually happen. Apple patents hundreds of things that never see the light of day, probably thousands.
This is not new. The Victoria & Albert Museum in London blocks any video making from a smart phone. A buzzer sounds and the on button turns red. Still photos are not blocked.
I have to agree with the slippery slope comment. The idea of where this type of control can lead or be taken is the issue. I can understand the urge to protect intellectual property and aside from the debate about Apple and the techs deployment this is something that can be taken advantage of. What would stop an entity from doing what Cassandra states, having someone shut down your camera or audio recording capability. Not to be a conspiracy theorist but if this function was baked in then a government agency would eventually be able to tap into it. I do not think this is a road that we would want to go down.
Just thought of something else, not knowing how this tech would actually work, would be controlled and secured. There are other situations to think about. As we know cell phone jammers are illegal but I do not think it is far fetched that well funded criminal entities have access to them, what if these same parties gained the ability listed here, during an event they could render peoples phone cameras inoperable to minimize the chances they are photographed, I know this is stretching it but this is the opposite side of the coin to the debate.
This is big *”§$”!!
The implementation of this technology does not necessarily mean, that we cannot take photos of concerts anymore. It would be far more difficult to implement. You would need dedicated infrared-light emitters to make the iPhone understand whats going on – sunlight is infrared light already!
This technology is a first step of Apple to think of corporates and how to make them let iPhones enter the building – without removing the camera.
Why anyone would want to document going to a Green Day concert is beyond me.
Easy solution: certain photography filters can effectively block IR wavelength light. Put it over the sensor and bam, no more restriction.
Green Day doesn’t *sell* “prints” on their “web store,” dickhead. And if DBW wouldn’t be thrilled to have gone to a Green Day concert, he/she/it hasn’t listened to their music.
Last of all, why on earth should anyone be surprised that Apple (by I-control-the-world Jobs) would try to manipulate their phones?! Ever heard of DRM? You Apple people are crack-ups. Get a Droid!
It’ll seriously not happen. And that’s for sure.
If Apple puts the sensor in the iPhone 5, I’ll be the first to be a new user of Android. ;-)
I can’t participate. I’m from norway and the for dos not allow norwegians to participate. cind of funny
“Cellphone censorship technology”? Is this a joke of some kind?!? Where is the company what released a TV ad arguing against tyranny and oppression back in 1984, based in Orwell’s book? All right, maybe is not Apple’s fault, but the company will allow this kind of policy to it’s devices? It is not enough to know the exactly location of someone who is using an iPhone or other iThing? It is not enough all data posted in a certain “iCloud” service what Apple will gain access for sure? Is Apple being a part of the “New World Order’s” plan to control everybody? Jeez, gimme a break sir…
My guess is that this was put in motion by the big music copyright holders, and since Apple was negotiating the rights with them related to the iCloud music storage (as one example) some legal wonk probably folded in a demand to “block unauthorized recording of copyrighted media” as part of the licensing. Apple (and big players on the Windows side too) had to knuckle under to copyright holders’ DRM demands in order to legally let their users buy and manage media.
Seems like you could thwart the tyrants by simply putting a piece of tape over the sensor.
Am I missing something?
Wow. I was already planning on switching out my iPhone for Droid when my contract is up. This is just one more reason to.
This technology may or may not see the light of day….but if I buy a device NO ONE is going to decide to remotely shut down any part of it. If concert security decides to toss me for filming a song that I like because I have violated the rules….fine. I’ll take my risks and live my life as I see fit. But a manufacturer limiting the use of the equipment I purchase? NO. EFFING. WAY. TOS – do NOT agree.
Apple could be patenting this so that no company is ever able to do it. Once Apple patents the idea, they control it and thus would prevent the Droid or other smart phones from being able to do this.
However, if they really are thinking about doing that, then guess what? I’m all in for a shiny new Droid.
I would not start throwing around the label “ignorant” if I were you.
No sweat. Just buy Android phones.