The Apple Police finally get serious about iPod and iPhone theft

It has been awhile since I posted here.  I've mainly spent my time at Stolen911.com, but with this story I had to figure out how to log back into this account and make a suggestion.  It now appears Apple is very serious about theft due to the allegation that their agents posed as San Francisco Police Officers to enter a home to find a stolen (or is it lost) iPhone prototype. Great!  I have about 4000 iPods/iPhones currently listed at Stolen911.com Apple can begin theft investigations into.  Bring the cops too if they have the time, but I think its just going to have to be Apple Security Personnel to do the grunt work.   

A simple way to go about it might work like this.   When someone has an iPhone or iPod stolen they can prove to apple by providing a police report case number.   Better yet, as the iPod’s serial number is entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) stolen property database by law enforcement, Apple is notified.  We will call it, “The Hotsheet.”  (I know, how original)   What? Government allowing access to a secure government database?  Oh wait.  Lojack is connected to the Stolen Vehicle System and knows when a car his stolen.  So never mind, it can be done.  With that list of serial numbers from The Hotsheet, Apple knows exactly which devices not to let connect to iTunes.   A simple message could appear,  “It appears your using an iPod that has been reported stolen.”  “Please contact the San Francisco Police with the following case number to resolve this issue.”  Once the Police take the serial number, of the now recovered iPod, out of the stolen property database, it is removed from The Hotsheet and will work in again in iTunes.

It cannot be done you say?  But wait, look at stolen cars.   About 700,000 vehicles were stolen last year in the US.   They are all entered in the NCIC stolen vehicle database.   While entered, you cannot re-register one of these cars and you sure don’t want to be stopped by a cop while driving one.

I began "the stolen iPod" in 2006 because I saw first hand how people were upset that stolen iPods were still allowed to connect to iTunes and work for the thieves that stole them.   Since then Apple released "Find my iPhone/Ipod" and some excellent outside tracking apps have been developed.   I still don’t like the fact  that stolen iPods and iPhones can be reused.

Many of the devices we use today are calling home to the “mother ship”.  Smartphone’s, TV’s, and some automobiles will someday all connect to "The Cloud".  All manufactures could then be told by The Hotsheet what devices that should not be allowed to work until removed. The question is who will pay for it?  Since Apple now has more cash then the government, I say they get the ball rolling.   Until then you can post your stolen iPod, iPhone, car, dog, whatever here at Stolen911.com.   Remember, it gives them a list to start with when they really get serious.  Until then, be safe.