Government Officials Bring in Security Experts to Test iOS 7's Activation Lock FeatureAfter launching an investigation into the anti-theft practices of smartphone manufacturers like Apple, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón will today test how Apple’s Activation Lock feature holds up against determined thieves, reports CNET. First introduced at WWDC, Activation Lock is designed to prevent Find My iPhone from being deactivated, which keeps stolen iPhones from being wiped and reactivated. The feature is included in iOS 7, which is expected to be released to consumers this fall. Gascón and Schneiderman are planning to bring in security experts from the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center to attempt to bypass Activation Lock in order to gain access to an iPhone. The security team will also test the Lojack for Android software on a Samsung Galaxy S4."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," Schneiderman and Gascón said in a joint statement. "Today we will assess the solutions they are proposing and see if they stand up to the tactics commonly employed by thieves."The two officials have pushed for greater anti-theft measures from cell phone manufacturers after a spike in mobile device thefts. While carriers agreed last year to develop a centralized database to track stolen phones, it has proven to be largely ineffectual. Both Gascón and Schneiderman have stated that they believe Activation Lock is an inadequate theft deterrent and Gascón has urged Apple to implement a "kill switch" that would permanently disable stolen iOS devices. The results of the Activation Lock investigation are expected to be released later today. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • New York Times Developing Gesture-Based News App for Leap Motion • Verizon Officially Announces 'Edge' Frequent Device Upgrade Program • Apple Reportedly Talking to LG About 55-65 Inch Ultra HD TV Panels • Verizon Tops Expectations with 3.9 Million iPhone Activations in Q2 2013 • Apple Seeds OS X 10.8.5 Build 12F23 to Developers • Chrome for iOS Updated with Improved Google App Interoperability, Fullscreen iPad Support • Oculus Rift Virtual Reality Headset to Support 'Next Gen Cellphones' • Leaked 'iPhone 5S' Rear Shell Likely for iPhone 5, Rumored Specs Equally Suspect
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/07/18/government-officials-bring-in-security-experts-to-test-ios-7s-activation-lock-feature/
