iOS Security Feature Destroys 66,000 iPhones -- How To Ensure Yours Isn't Next

guest · Apr 13, 2019

iOS Security Feature Destroys 66,000 iPhones -- How To Ensure Yours Isn't Next
April 13, 2019
https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveyw...-66000-iphones-how-to-ensure-yours-isnt-next/

What's the problem?
A new report by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG), has revealed that over the course of the last three years some 66,000 iPhones have had to be destroyed by one Colorado based electronics recycling center rather than being reused.

The Wireless Alliance, which received in excess of six million donated phones for recycling between 2015 and 2018, has said that the iPhones in question were "perfectly reusable" but had to be broken up for parts rather than enter the used smartphone market.

When an iPhone user turns on Find My iPhone the activation lock is automatically enabled.
This is a great security feature as you can easily put a misplaced or stolen iPhone into "Lost Mode" which locks the screen and displays a custom message to help recover it if found. Apple says [...]
Click to expand...

What does CoPIRG say?
While acknowledging that an activation lock can deter thieves by making stolen iPhones a much less valuable proposition, it also urges that every phone that can be reused should be reused.

[...] "if a phone's activation lock is not lifted by the original owner, the lock is permanent." In order to tackle this problem of permanence, CoPIRG suggests that there needs to be a better balance between theft deterrence and allowing the activation locks to be disabled by reputable, certified, recyclers.
Click to expand...

"Locked Out: The Unintended Consequences of Phone Activation Locks and How We Can Fix It"
(PDF - 222 KB): https://copirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/Locked%20Out.pdf

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