iOS 7’s Activation Lock Feature To Be Put To The Test

One of the new features of iOS 7 that Apple announced during WWDC 2013 was the Activation Lock feature. Basically this feature will lock a phone and will require the owner’s Apple ID username and password in order to use the device, making it a slightly more secure tool compared to the regular key code. This was a move by Apple to up the level of security on their products, and at the same time attempt to deter thieves from stealing and selling iPhones in the black market. However while the idea sounds good and the theory is somewhat sound, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and to take the feature for a spin and see how truly secure it really is.

In a joint statement, both officials were quoted as saying, “While we are appreciative of the efforts made by Apple and Samsung to improve security of the devices they sell, we are not going to take them at their word […] Today we will assess the solutions they are proposing and see if they stand up to the tactics commonly employed by thieves.” The efforts of their testing are expected to be released later today, but as it stands both officials aren’t too convinced of the feature and have pushed Apple to implement a “kill switch” that could permanently disable an iOS device remotely.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones
Tags: iOS 7