Apple patent iPhone "panic button"

[Premium1]

Interesting patent from Apple:

According to a patent granted to Apple on Tuesday for “Biometric Initiated Communication,” the panic button could operate from a number of inputs including “a particular finger or finger sequence,” “a particular timing or cadence,” or whether input was “entered with a particular force.”

One possible application of the button is “to call emergency services without that fact being known to an assailant or other aggressive person that prompted the emergency call,” and potentially send GPS data and/or streaming audio or video to the authorities. It could also be used to execute a wipe of any crucial data on the phone, like social security numbers.

It’s certainly a feature that at face value sounds suitably pro-safety. But whether or not a cell phone panic button ends up being much more than security theater—something designed to provide the reassuring illusion of safety instead of actual safety—may end up relying on a lot of factors that can’t be engineered into a phone.

Patent: Patent Images

 

[Just_Me_D]

That is definitely interesting, in my opinion, and I’m curious to see how it plays out...??????