4 ms·

> (Apple DRM'ing all the internal hardware does effectively make stolen iphones completely worthless, in whole or in parts.) This claim, or to be more specific

> (Apple DRM'ing all the internal hardware does effectively make stolen iphones completely worthless, in whole or in parts.) This claim, or to be more specific, the claim that this reduces theft, is missing evidence. Are iPhones really being stolen at a substantially lower rate than other brands, correlating with implementation of these locks?

pchristensen 3y ago
Lots of articles starting 2013 that Activation Lock reduced theft by measurable amounts. I couldn't figure out how to search for articles about drm'ed parts.
tombert 3y ago
Sample size of one, and anecdotal at that, but someone snatched my iPhone out of my hands last July and ran away. I of course reported it stolen to the police and locked it down in FindMy, so in theory I think it's a brick, but I don't think that the fact that it was an iPhone really deterred them from stealing it from me. They actually tried to extort $300 from me to get it back which I of course would not pay, but maybe there's still a market in that for some people?
- CatWChainsaw 3y ago
  How did they try to get $300 from you after your phone was stolen? You probably don't carry that much cash on you, they can't text you, and they have your phone/digital wallet if they wanted to try cracking it.
  - tombert 3y ago
    After I got home, I got my wife to call the phone, and they said they would give it back to me if I gave them $300. We were trying to see if we could figure out a way to get them to reveal themselves but it didn’t pan out.
    - CatWChainsaw 3y ago
      That sucks. Although I can't really see someone who went to the trouble of stealing the phone honoring an exchange. I bet if you had arranged to do the exchange anywhere other than outside a police station they would have just walked off with your phone and an extra $300.
      - tombert 3y ago
        Yeah, that’s what we figured as well. I had no reason to think that anything positive could come out of giving them $300. Even if they did give me my phone back for $300, I don’t want to reward extorting me. I doubt they got any money for it, so it’s probably resting at the bottom of the Hudson River now. It was especially frustrating for me because I was unemployed at the time, and really didn't want to be spending $700 of dollars on a new phone, so for a brief moment I will admit that I did consider paying the $300 if I had a way to guarantee that they'd actually give it back, but it didn't last long.

pchristensen 3y ago

Lots of articles starting 2013 that Activation Lock reduced theft by measurable amounts. I couldn't figure out how to search for articles about drm'ed parts.

tombert 3y ago

Sample size of one, and anecdotal at that, but someone snatched my iPhone out of my hands last July and ran away. I of course reported it stolen to the police and locked it down in FindMy, so in theory I think it's a brick, but I don't think that the fact that it was an iPhone really deterred them from stealing it from me. They actually tried to extort $300 from me to get it back which I of course would not pay, but maybe there's still a market in that for some people?

CatWChainsaw 3y ago
How did they try to get $300 from you after your phone was stolen? You probably don't carry that much cash on you, they can't text you, and they have your phone/digital wallet if they wanted to try cracking it.
- tombert 3y ago
  After I got home, I got my wife to call the phone, and they said they would give it back to me if I gave them $300. We were trying to see if we could figure out a way to get them to reveal themselves but it didn’t pan out.
  - CatWChainsaw 3y ago
    That sucks. Although I can't really see someone who went to the trouble of stealing the phone honoring an exchange. I bet if you had arranged to do the exchange anywhere other than outside a police station they would have just walked off with your phone and an extra $300.
    - tombert 3y ago
      Yeah, that’s what we figured as well. I had no reason to think that anything positive could come out of giving them $300. Even if they did give me my phone back for $300, I don’t want to reward extorting me. I doubt they got any money for it, so it’s probably resting at the bottom of the Hudson River now. It was especially frustrating for me because I was unemployed at the time, and really didn't want to be spending $700 of dollars on a new phone, so for a brief moment I will admit that I did consider paying the $300 if I had a way to guarantee that they'd actually give it back, but it didn't last long.