Apple publishes its rules for when the law requests access to the user data

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Our privacy has been sullied during the beginning of this year, the NSA controversy starred with requests to read personal data through user accounts of some companies. Apple had already asked then a change in these methods, refusing to collaborate with the authorities and later clarified its position. Now the company has gone a step further, publishing rules for determining when the U.S. request user data.

In these rules we can read how Apple will notify all who have accounts with data that have been applied, or how you can "punch" the post provided they have received a court order to do so. Instead, communications via iMessage or FaceTime can not be intercepted as they are encrypted from device to device. Calendars and any third-party application data may not be accessible through Apple, although each application will have its own policy regarding government requests.

Location data from any iOS device with GPS enabled are not saved on Apple's servers

There are other interesting details to read the text: location data iOS terminals are not saved on Apple's servers, so that can not be delivered to the authorities as much as asked. The same goes for the unlock codes the same devices.

Apple also said in the document that is prepared to work with the police at the time of recovering stolen devices, but also depends on the police use the data provided by iCloud. A rather clarifying rules, maybe put in audience by the hand of the new privacy expert hired the company last month.

Apple registered a patent deal that would prevent the mobile while driving

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Managing mobile or GPS when we are driving is one of the many causes that can lead to an accident. With the increase in smartphone and notifications, use while driving has increased, thus increasing the risk of accidents also. Apple knows this problem and just patented a system that would avoid using your phone while driving.

The patent would be based on safety thresholds to be inside a moving car, that is, detect the phone through the GPS we are moving and analyze image obtained by processing with cameras if we are the driver or not. Thus two areas, a safe and other unsafe be identified, as shown in the following image of patent registration.

According to the patent, upon detecting that we are in an unsafe area could be two things: either that the phone will block all use is considered unsafe or that the car emitted signals it inoperable phone while they were driving. These two possibilities are covered by the registration of the patent, so either could be chosen by Apple to implement.

Does this new patent a new feature of iOS related integration CarPlay? Yes and no. Software patents in the U.S. are so abstract that it can be only a record to protect competition or have an idea already developed and implemented.

Still, if this system a reality would be something that would have to take into account both car manufacturers as government of different countries, as they would have to think if it could be a mandatory on all cars to reduce the number accidents due to improper use of mobile phone.