Apple Warns Looters with Stolen iPhones: You Are Being Tracked

> Apple has taken step after step to try to render its devices worthless once taken, including the sticky “Find My” functionality that enables users to track down an iPhone. “If your device goes missing,” Apple says “put it in Lost Mode to lock it immediately and start tracking its location.”

Well iDevices can already trace themselves offline via Bluetooth and Wifi back to Apple so the rioters have looted the forbidden fruit and will probably get a knock on the door by the local authorities.

I'm curious how many of the smart TVs are being tracked. Quite a few of those were looted over the weekend from what I could tell of the videos being posted.

Smart looters would just sell the devices for parts without ever powering them on (by themselves). Anecdotally, I have seen instances of looting different kinds of items where the thief is interested in getting some amount for the product. They usually don’t look for the best price available in a used products market. The amount they got would be a small fraction of what the item is worth. This may not apply to organized gangs and groups.

<-- Well, thanks to social media, we can now see the message that greets a looter powering up their new device: “This device has been disabled and is being tracked,” it says. “Local authorities will be alerted.”

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This is scary. Especially from a company that prides itself on individuals' privacy. I know that Apple needs to defend itself but if this type of tracking can be turned-on on thieves, who is to say that they won't turn it on anyone they wish to follow for whatever reason.