苹果新专利惹质疑:政府控制信息"开关"

Well, this is interesting. Apple has patented technology that could allow the police to block transmission of videos, photographs and other information from leaving fenced locations.

苹果手机的一项专利很有意思，通过它警察能对特定地区传播的数据信息进行阻断。

Apple intends for its use to be mostly limited to cinemas, theaters, concert venues and other such locations, but also adds that police and authorities could utilize this on/off switch.

苹果公司计划将这一应用投入到电影院、剧院音乐会和其他类似的地点，但也表示说警察和政府可以决定是否限于该类地区进行数据隔断。

Here’s what Apple had to say about the technology:

以下内容是苹果公司公布的内容：

As wireless devices such as cellular telephones, pagers, personal media devices and smartphones become ubiquitous, more and more people are carrying these devices in various social and professional settings. The result is that these wireless devices can often annoy, frustrate, and even threaten people in sensitive venues. For example, cell phones with loud ringers frequently disrupt meetings, the presentation of movies, religious ceremonies, weddings, funerals, academic lectures, and test-taking environments.

随着无线设备,如移动电话、寻呼机、个人媒体设备和智能手机变得无处不在，越来越多的人携带着这些装置出现在一些社交性的和特殊的地点。结果是在敏感的场所中,这些无线装置经常骚扰,挫折,甚至威胁到人们。例如,特别响的手机铃声经常破坏会议、播放中的电影、宗教仪式、婚礼、葬礼、学术讲座和考试。

That sounds innocuous, but here’s the alarming part:

这听起来是好像是无害的,但是以下是令人担忧的部分：

Covert police or government operations may require complete “blackout” conditions.

秘密警察和政府可以操控人们的手机，形成暂时性“无信号”的情况。

That second quote has some believing that authorities could use this technology to block information leaving the scene of geofenced protests and rallies.

更深一层的忧虑来自于这样一种说法：当局可以使用这个技术来控制特定区域——如抗议示威和集会现场——的信息，使其无法传播。

Though Apple has been granted this patent, it doesn’t necessarily mean the company will utilize it in its mobile devices soon. It’s worth noting that patented technologies don’t always end up in on-shelf products.

而且虽然苹果公司已经被授予此项专利，但这并不意味着它将很快应用到移动设备上。值得一提的是，专利技术也并不一定会应用到上架产品中。