A few weeks ago I told you about a invention patent of the Apple company, which involved the automatic closing of the video recordings made by the cameras of our terminals. Using an infrared sensor, the terminal detects certain signals sent by other similar sensors and can close the video recording during concerts or movies in cinemas. It was said then that Apple would block the possibility for people to record certain events and it seems that a group of American activists made a petition asking Apple not to implement this technology in iOS and iDevices.
The petition made by them emphasizes freedom of expression and the right of customers to do whatever they want, with their own terminals, but is there any point? Many Apple patents never end up being implemented in products and this seems to be one of them. I think that some people are too paranoid if they imagine that Apple will block the possibility of filming with our own cameras and I think that such petitions make even Steve Jobs laugh sometimes.
As you know, smartphones are extensions of ourselves: They are incredibly powerful tools for communication, education, political expression, community organizing and plain fun. 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.
