
Time magazine's Techland published an interesting report this morning about the growing number of iOS apps that make authorities nervous. As it turns out, the list of apps causing worry for police extend far beyond the controversial DUI checkpoint apps that recently prompted Apple to revise its App Store review policies and guidelines.
The genesis of this story stems back to a hacker group (go figure) called LulzSec. The organization, according to Time, has been targeting Arizona law enforcement "by releasing thousands of pages of confidential documents and communications presumably acquired in a security breach." Within the treasure trove of findings are documents that point to the iPhone and several apps that have drawn scrutiny and concern from law enforcement.
One document, titled “iphone apps- used against officers.doc”, is classified “Law Enforcement Sensitive” and lists several apps of which officers should be aware. These include an app called “Cop Recorder,” which according to the police document “can be activated while in a pocket and record everything the officer is saying,” as well as a speed trap avoidance app and a police tracking app, and an app for jailbroken iPhones that turns the device into a scale in grams or ounces.
Following the publicized hack, the Arizona Highway Patrol Association confirmed that the leaked documents are, indeed, real. Referencing the hackers who brought these police policies and procedures to light, Jimmy Chavez, President of the AHPA, says: “These individuals maliciously released confidential information knowing the safety of DPS employees, and their families, would be compromised. A threat to release more DPS files demonstrates how heinous the hackers are willing to act. The AHPA would like to see the people brought to justice and prosecuted to the highest degree of the law.”
Source: Time magazine (Techland)
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