Police are advocating iOS 7 upgrade for security reasons

Apple lovers were smitten with the release of the highly coveted iPhone 5s and with spectacular iOS 7 software, but it is curious to observe just what measures people would take to protect their devices. The software that visibly changed the iPhone’s format wasn’t the only alteration that Apple made to the latest iOS 7 upgrade. It’s supposedly safer, and can make criminals think twice before stealing such devices, according to the New York Police Department.

Over the weekend, NYPD officers scoured the streets of New York City, spreading the word to civilians about new iPhone safety regulations, encouraging them to make the switch, in an effort to protect the public from being victimized by iPhone theft. The scene of police promoting Apple software was quite the sight, as it seemed like corporate America had partnered with the government.

Police officers stood in train platforms and occupied busy touristy vicinities of the city issuing public awareness flyers, encouraging the masses to upgrade their Apple devices to iOS7, and to register their apparatuses with the NYPD’s Operation Identification Program. By taking this initiative, people’s phones have a supposed lesser chance of being stolen.

NYPD officers have the utmost reasoning to be so keen on this software upgrade for the iPhone. Officials believe that the activation lock will discourage theft of iPhones across the board. Statistically speaking, 70% of all phones stolen in NYC public transportation systems are iPhones and iOS devices.

The Village Voice reported that in the space of 9 months, 11,447 iOS devices were stolen. This number is rapidly on the rise. People on public transportation have increased anxiety when publicly using their iOS devices, for fear of electronics’ safety.

With the iOS 7’s new security feature, the activation lock allows users to take precautions against potential theft of their phones. The “Find my iPhone” setting cannot be eliminated and the locating information found on the phone cannot be disabled by the thief without the iPhone owner’s Apple ID and password. A personal message from the owner will appear on the screen with contact information on how to return the phone. The software cannot be reprogrammed or reactivated by whoever finds the lost phone. If thieved, your iOS 7 device is then essentially hack-free and useless to criminals.
Whoever possesses your device will not be able to access your personal information, or erase your data while in “lost mode.” When the activation lock is enabled, it cannot be resold to potential buyers or reset to factory settings.

 Image via foxnews.com

However, by turning on the activation lock, your location service setting will also be enabled. This setting, which  has reached an ever-growing popularity for apps, overshares and invades the privacy of users. The usage of location services could potentially result in ruthless hackers abusing the use of location data when not in “lost mode,” to attack vulnerable iPhone owners virtually.

It will be fascinating to observe all statistics for the upcoming months, allowing the data analysis to determine if iOS 7 upgrades have truly made the difference.