Remember when we used to watch concerts live instead of through the lenses of our phones? Me neither! Cellphones are great. What is going to a show if you can’t do it for the Instagram. Did something even happen if it’s not in our Snapchat story?
Unfortunately for tech-addicted fans (and awesome for musicians who get cranky when people are on their cellphone at a show), Apple was just granted a patent on technology that can disable your phone’s camera at certain events like concerts, sports games and anywhere photography is generally not allowed.
The technology works by using infrared signals to disable iPhone cameras within a certain location. The transmitter is placed in a certain area, and the infrared signal emits encoded data that represents a command to disable recording on your phone. If you open your camera app in the affected area, your screen will simply say “recording disabled.”
While this might be great for top secret things like movie premieres or if Taylor Swift invites you over to her house to listen to her unreleased, new album (remember she did that for 1989!), it could be totally dangerous when placed in the wrong hands. The tech has gotten backlash saying it’s thwarting freedom of the press and free speech, but many also wonder – what if police can disable your iPhone camera anywhere. Shady, right? Right now it seems that it’s the kind of thing that would be used in movie theaters to stop bootleggers and concerts to keep annoying people off their phone.
Rolling Stone once rated being on a cellphone during a concert as one of the 10 most annoying concert behaviors, so fine Apple, you win, again.
What do you think about this technology? Is it cool or does it cross some lines? You checkout the entire patent here.
