Aside: Fears for Civil Liberties as Apple Patents Technology

I think it is absolutely ridiculous and unconstitutional for someone to have the power to disable my smartphone. The new patent technology that Apple has released will give police officers or authority figures to remotely control smartphones. They claim that it is helpful because it could prevent against fraud, create more privacy, and control unstable situations; however, to me this looks like a Big Brother situation. America is a free country, and controlling something so personal and important to users such as their smart phones is a detrimental idea. People will grow to detest their superiors like some sort of cruel dictatorship where the people have no power. So much viral and groundbreaking media has come from footage shot on smartphones, such as the UC Davis police pepper spray attacks or even the Arab who got out of their car during a protest and was shot on the spot. Smartphones give anyone the ability to be a journalist or news reporter, and they give people the feeling that they are involved in making a difference and that their voice matters. Not only that, but this patent can take away phone-call abilities at certain times; who the heck would benefit from this? If the police had the power to shut down cell phone usage during the UC Davis protests, the world would never have had proof of the violence and unprofessional tactics used by the officers and they could still be in positions of power today. Smartphones give the user the world at their fingertips. With the push of a button, we are now more powerful than we ever have been before. Taking this away from users is not only a huge abuse of governmental power, but also takes away freedom, civil liberties, and rights that we Americans take for granted.  Nick Pickles said it best, 'It’s been a fact that modern phones are in reality tracking devices that let us make calls, but the idea that awkward citizens might find their phone shut down at the behest of a Government agency is a very worrying thought and not one that fits with democratic principles.” This patent goes against democracy as well as constitutional rights of freedom and I think it is a very unwise decision to implement this technology.