The inescapable tracking technology inside all of our phones has gifted authorities a win over the hordes of looters that tore up France last weekend.
An iPhone reportedly stolen from Apple’s Lille store during France’s riots has appeared in a video displaying a warning that it has been disabled and is being tracked.
People have campaigned for years against the seemingly inescapable tracking technology inside all of our devices, but you’ve got to admit this nifty trick from the tech giant has come in handy amid the recent chaos unfolding across parts of Europe.
As looters smashed their way through thousands of businesses in France, very few appeared to be aware the shiny new smartphones in their hands had amounted to little more than a paperweight.
Unfortunately for the thieves, their location was being sent direct to authorities.
“Please return the device to Apple Lille. This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted,” the message read.
It’s not the first time tracking software has been deployed against looters in times of unrest.
In Philadelphia in September 2023, thieves began smashing stolen Apple devices after discovering they had been disabled and were sounding alarms. Police recovered a “pile of iPads” abandoned nearby, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Similar tracking warnings were reported on Apple display phones taken during US unrest in 2020.
Apple’s security documentation explains that supervised iPhones and iPads can be remotely locked through Managed Lost Mode, made to display a customised message and asked to report their location.
But it doesn’t always mean every stolen device is worthless. Savvy hackers have proven it’s possible to get around the tech giant’s extremely robust security systems to “jailbreak” them. Those capabilities are now exploding as the AI boom takes hold, with reverse engineering software capable of decoding software in a heartbeat hitting the public just this month.
In evidence to Britain’s parliament last year, Apple admitted it was co-operating with police against organised raids targeting its demonstration phones.
Authorities expect insured losses to remain around $1.9 billion, assuming no further violence.
Police have now banned protests around key Paris landmarks from 8am to 8pm, including major tourist sites like the Louvre, Champs-Elysees and Elysee presidential palace.
Protesters are up in arms about the surging cost-of-living, with some continuing to defy authorities’ orders following last weekend’s chaos.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said 2,500 people had been taken into custody during and after the unrest, with 174 jailed and 917 formally prosecuted.
President Emmanuel Macron has also accused foreign leaders of campaigning “at France’s expense”, after Trump sought to link the violence to immigration.
The unrest overshadowed demonstrations attended by more than half a million people nationwide. Smaller-scale violence has also hit Belgium and Italy, where the government has now ordered 500 troops to Milan.