Apple’s Camera Blocking Patent Angers Free Press
In the past, there were reports of Apple’s new patent, which plans to block the image capturing and video recording capabilities of iPhones. If ever Apple plans to put this patent to use on smartphones like the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3G S, event organizers, other organizations, as well as the government will be able to take control of your iPhone. 
Why was the patent thought of in the first place? Its goal is to stop piracy, paparazzi tendencies, or filming while on live events. Talk about paranoid celebrities.
Although celebrities and public figures may be thrilled with Apple’s patent, the Free Press, an organization in the US geared towards media reforms, isn’t. They said, “We must stop Apple… This new camera-blocking technology is a pre-emptive strike against free speech. If activated, it would be immensely harmful to our rights to connect and communicate. … Please take action now to urge Steve Jobs to pull the plug on this censorship technology.”
Free Press makes a strong argument. Just look at the role smartphones played in the delivery of breaking news on the war in Iraq. Without them, we wouldn’t be getting the most up to date news all over the world.
The Huffington Post reports, “In its patent application, Apple describes the technology as making it impossible to capture video or pictures at events where cameras and video recorders are prohibited…Your phone determines whether an image includes an infrared beam with encoded data. This data is sent from an emitter that directs the cellphone or a similar device to shut down image capture. Disabling emitters could be mounted on stages, throughout public squares or, conceivably, on police helmets.”
We may have joked about this in the past. However, this new patent raises a number of questions. If it does violate our freedom of speech, Steve Jobs should have thought about this patent before allowing it to be filed. There are a number of people who regard him as the next Hitler. Now, people might regard him as the next Karl Marx (the father of communism).
