NEW YORK: Your next iPhone might listen to your heartbeat or scan your face to identify its rightful owner, and it could react with anti-theft measures if it ended up in the wrong hands, according to a patent recently filed by Apple.
Filed in February and made public this month, the patent describes an invention that uses several methods to detect "unauthorised" usage of a device, such as voice and facial recognition or a heart rate monitor.
Possible anti-theft measures include restricting access to some applications, gathering location data about the unauthorised user or shutting down the device remotely.
One method the patent describes for detecting a stolen iPhone is checking whether it's been hacked (aka "jailbroken") or its SIM card has been yanked out. The up-close-and-personal security patent has some concerned journalists screaming "1984," interpreting the patent application as a draconian move by Apple to spy on users and punish customers who hack their iPhones.
"The system described in the patent [would] allow Apple to effectively kill jailbroken devices under the guise of protecting customers from theft, since it may not be able to determine whether a device has been stolen or if it is being willingly jailbroken by users," writes Mashable's Lauren Indvik.
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