You will have seen it in the news, newspapers or social networks. As protests in the United States continue after the death of George Floyd, looters begin to emerge trying to seize the moment to break into shoplifting. Of course, Apple is one of the most coveted, and the company has activated a function little used to defend.
Several days ago, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent the next message to their employees as protests increased:
There is deep pain etched in the soul of our nation and in the hearts of millions. To unite, we must defend each other and acknowledge the fear, pain, and outrage properly provoked by George Floyd’s mindless murder and a much longer history of racism. At Apple, our mission has been and always will be to create technology that enables people to change the world for the better. We always take advantage of our diversity, we welcome people from all walks of life in our stores around the world, and we strive to build an Apple that is inclusive of everyone.
After several days and as we said, Apple has become one of the looters’ favorite targets. Its physical stores in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia are experiencing a large number of thefts. How are those from Cupertino defending themselves?
As they explain at Forbes, the company has activated a type of proximity software that was known but had seen very little in action so far. It disables a device (in this case the new iPhone that is being stolen) when taken illegally from a store.
Thanks to the captures and videos on social networks, you can see the message that a looter receives when he turns on a device for the first time:
This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.
As they explain in the middle, the truth is that it is unlikely that phones or other devices will be returned, although once disabled many of them may be abandoned for fear of that there is some kind of tracking that locates them with the stolen device in hand.[[Forbes]
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