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On 08/05/17 I was kidnapped at gun point and at one point forced to turn over my iPhone and on two occasions had to provide the gunman my passcode. I learned a

On 08/05/17 I was kidnapped at gun point and at one point forced to turn over my iPhone and on two occasions had to provide the gunman my passcode. I learned about tapping the power button 5x's but still don't know what would have occurred and if such a function would have endangered by life (I believe it triggers a emergency services call, but that could have tipped off the gunman if he heard an voice asking "911, what's your emergency?" From the phone). So I believe the following would have been useful: an alternate passcode that would have unknowingly triggered my location and activated the mic to emergency services without the gunman being aware.

solotronics 9y ago
wow, glad you are ok. could you please elaborate? Do you live in the States? Would you mind talking about why you were kidnapped and what preventative measures you will take going forward? I am involved in cryptocurrency and worry about this quite a bit but luckily I live where citizens can concealed carry so that at gives me a fighting chance.
- nerdponx 9y ago
  Not the same poster but I was robbed last year (but not kidnapped...) and something similar happened. They told me to unlock the phone, then kept me there while they ran a factory reset on it. They had zero interest in my personal data -- they just wanted to sell the phone.
  - will_brown 9y ago
    My kidnapper used my phone to find an ATM/my bank (maybe other reasons too), and you couldn't make this up but Apple Maps gave him a bank location like 20 miles away and I got my phone back by telling the frustrated attacker I would find a closer bank, it was shortly after getting my phone that I made my escape.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- will_brown 9y ago
  I live in Miami, FL (multiple time murder capital of the world) but was on my way to a family timeshare/small beach town. This occurred in broad daylight at a gas station and perhaps ironically ended in Fort Pierce, FL (8th safest city in the US, according to one publication) after being forced to drive the attacker at gunpoint. After plenty of time to contemplate what action I would take (sorry can not discuss my mental state further) I ultimately opened my driver door and jumped/fell out while my car was in gear. The attacker managed to get into the driver seat and flee. Good news, my wi-fi only iPad was in the car and I got a location the next morning, unfortunately I had to drive into a housing projects and verify both my car and gunman before police went out and made the arrest. Another irony is the police wouldn't get a warrant to get my iPad from the (last) known location or even search for the gun (defendant didn't have it on him at time of the arrest). Truely the most horrific thing was actually the first sergeant on the scene responding to my 911 call and the first words out of his mouth were "cut the crap." Luckily the entire department was outfitted with body cams in June due to prior police misconduct and recommendations from a grand jury, again 8th safest city in the US. I have already made my public record request for the video. I'm not into guns, nor will I turn to one now, but that may change. It's possible a gun would have only got me shot or in hindsight worse with the police response (not all the responding officers responded similarly). I guess I'm considering a dashcam for my car, I'm not sure that would have helped prevent anything, but it's possible it may have deterred the attacker.
  - ryanwaggoner 9y ago
    I don't want to detract from your story, but just want to point out that you may be misremembering what you've read about Miami. It was dangerous in the 80s, but is pretty safe today. And while it may have been the murder capitol of the US decades ago, I seriously doubt it was ever the murder capitol of the world. I think the takeaway is that even safe locations require personal vigilance.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - deleted 9y ago
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AndrewKemendo 9y ago
Yes a Duress code is a very old and well known concept and I am unsure why it's not already built into phones. Either opening a separate version of the phone with different apps, or silently notifying people/authorities. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duress_code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duress_code
- will_brown 9y ago
  Obviously I hope some good can come from my experience and I plan on publishing the story once I obtain all video/audio evidence. And while I want to publicly acknowledge Apple Find my Phone lead to the arrest of the attacker and recovery of my stolen vehicle, I know HN is the one place I could turn to get a push to bring the duress code (thanks for the terminology) to the attention of the public and phone manufacturers/software developers.
animex 9y ago
In the alarm industry this is known as the "under duress code" and it's a feature I've wanted for a long time on my phone. Aka, being asked to decrypt/unlock my phone against my will, would trigger a wipe or launch some sort of vanilla/pared down O/S with little access to my personal data/info.

solotronics 9y ago

wow, glad you are ok. could you please elaborate? Do you live in the States? Would you mind talking about why you were kidnapped and what preventative measures you will take going forward? I am involved in cryptocurrency and worry about this quite a bit but luckily I live where citizens can concealed carry so that at gives me a fighting chance.

nerdponx 9y ago
Not the same poster but I was robbed last year (but not kidnapped...) and something similar happened. They told me to unlock the phone, then kept me there while they ran a factory reset on it. They had zero interest in my personal data -- they just wanted to sell the phone.
- will_brown 9y ago
  My kidnapper used my phone to find an ATM/my bank (maybe other reasons too), and you couldn't make this up but Apple Maps gave him a bank location like 20 miles away and I got my phone back by telling the frustrated attacker I would find a closer bank, it was shortly after getting my phone that I made my escape.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
will_brown 9y ago
I live in Miami, FL (multiple time murder capital of the world) but was on my way to a family timeshare/small beach town. This occurred in broad daylight at a gas station and perhaps ironically ended in Fort Pierce, FL (8th safest city in the US, according to one publication) after being forced to drive the attacker at gunpoint. After plenty of time to contemplate what action I would take (sorry can not discuss my mental state further) I ultimately opened my driver door and jumped/fell out while my car was in gear. The attacker managed to get into the driver seat and flee. Good news, my wi-fi only iPad was in the car and I got a location the next morning, unfortunately I had to drive into a housing projects and verify both my car and gunman before police went out and made the arrest. Another irony is the police wouldn't get a warrant to get my iPad from the (last) known location or even search for the gun (defendant didn't have it on him at time of the arrest). Truely the most horrific thing was actually the first sergeant on the scene responding to my 911 call and the first words out of his mouth were "cut the crap." Luckily the entire department was outfitted with body cams in June due to prior police misconduct and recommendations from a grand jury, again 8th safest city in the US. I have already made my public record request for the video. I'm not into guns, nor will I turn to one now, but that may change. It's possible a gun would have only got me shot or in hindsight worse with the police response (not all the responding officers responded similarly). I guess I'm considering a dashcam for my car, I'm not sure that would have helped prevent anything, but it's possible it may have deterred the attacker.
- ryanwaggoner 9y ago
  I don't want to detract from your story, but just want to point out that you may be misremembering what you've read about Miami. It was dangerous in the 80s, but is pretty safe today. And while it may have been the murder capitol of the US decades ago, I seriously doubt it was ever the murder capitol of the world. I think the takeaway is that even safe locations require personal vigilance.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]

AndrewKemendo 9y ago

Yes a Duress code is a very old and well known concept and I am unsure why it's not already built into phones. Either opening a separate version of the phone with different apps, or silently notifying people/authorities. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duress_code https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duress_code

will_brown 9y ago
Obviously I hope some good can come from my experience and I plan on publishing the story once I obtain all video/audio evidence. And while I want to publicly acknowledge Apple Find my Phone lead to the arrest of the attacker and recovery of my stolen vehicle, I know HN is the one place I could turn to get a push to bring the duress code (thanks for the terminology) to the attention of the public and phone manufacturers/software developers.

animex 9y ago

In the alarm industry this is known as the "under duress code" and it's a feature I've wanted for a long time on my phone. Aka, being asked to decrypt/unlock my phone against my will, would trigger a wipe or launch some sort of vanilla/pared down O/S with little access to my personal data/info.