Glad somebody modded it up. That really was funny.

Let us all know if this works....The deer and rabbits decimate my wife's garden every year. Somewhere in my basement, I have a 200KV power supply....a little motion sensor to kick off the spark gaps...hmmmmm.

Wow! Someone states an apparent truth and it gets marked down to -1 so nobody sees it - it's not the message the Android and Samsung fans want to hear, apparently. But, the original poster is correct, if this happened on with Apple, there would be no "mis-understanding" as to whether this was intentional or not on this site.

And, legislators quickly ammended the law to close the loophole and is on the governor's desk awaiting signature. Unfortunately, the guy will get off (more was than one). Next guy won't be so lucky.

Uh no. It will give you access to many things and help pave the way. If the policy of a company is not disclose the information without a court order, the Executor can request one on behalf of the Estate. If the court agrees the request is reasonable (in this case, it probably is), you get the order. Just make sure to file in the right jurisdiction so the order will be followed. Often, this is based on the state where the company filed their incorporation papers.

That's why you designate an Executor in your Will and Last Testament. The Executor doesn't have to be a family member so the responsibility doesnt have to fall upon a grieving family. Executorship gives them the legal authority to act on the deceased's behalf with the courts. But, I am not sure that every state or other countries have to honor that authority. And, if you don't have a Will, the responsibility goes to the State's Probate Court - seldom a good idea. Write a Will and assign an Executor.

No. Never said anything of the sort. I said that for Apple to legally comply, they would require a court order and to make sure that the machine is legally the property of the Estate and that DRM protected items remain as such, and privacy is not violated. When Apple gets the court order, they will comply with that order and within the letter of the law. If they don't, that's another story altogether, isn't it?

It should give you time to pause and reflect to make sure that you have your affairs in order when it comes to your digital assets should you pass away. The fate of digital assets when someone dies is still, pretty much, a crapshoot, with few companies having stated policies on the matter or legal precedence set.

Clearly, the owner of the device has passed and the license for the DRM is non-transferrable. Apple has an obligation, under contract, to protect that content since the original licensee - has, sadly, passed away. This is is an issue that should be taken up by the higher courts and resolved as our laws have not evolved as quickly as technology. Yes, I feel for the family and I understand their frustration. At the same time, I can see Apple's reluctance to just unlock the device because someone arbitrarily says so and risk opening themselves up to litigation.

And, I would encourage you to think about such things as you prepare your own Will so as to prevent such a situation for those in your family when the time comes. Make sure that important account information is left in the Will or with people you trust. It's not something most people think about, is it? Maybe, its time we do.

So, how exactly, does that make Apple or me a bunch of douche bags?

I have read most of the comments up until now. Frankly, most seem as if they were written by a bunch of Apple haters.

The article clearly states that while Apple acknowledges the woman is dead and the person to be the executor of her account, they require a court order and/or proof she is the rightful owner of the device. Why?

We have no reason to doubt the the executor or the heirs that the device belonged to her. But, being unable to provide the unlock code to her iPad nor her Apple Id and associated password (which, could instantly demonstrate it was her device via their FindMyIPhone service), Apple is unwilling to unlock it. They demand further proof of ownership (or, prior ownership).

Why?

First, there are DRM considerations. When a person uses an Apple device and "purchases" certain products through iTunes, they have a non-transferable license to use that material. Unlocking the device, without court order, could subject Apple to litigation by the owners of the DRM software.

Let's assume that the person presenting the iDevice is the legal heir to the device (i.e. it belonged to the deceased and bequeathed to them). Apple is asking for a court order directing them to access the device and remove their legal liability for providing such access to the data on the device and the the violation of privacy. If it were a house or vault, would you not want to make sure that the person you are giving the keys has a legal right to enter the premises?

Next, let's consider the owner has email accounts. The iDevice will, likely, automatically access those email accounts. Services such as FaceBook, Yahoo!, Hotmail, and GMail try to protect the ownership of the private content of those systems - people have a right to an expectation of privacy - even after death. It's in their terms of service. As an heir, you may or may not have a legal right to access those accounts of the deceased individual.

Just last year, I think it was, there was a case where the family of a deceased soldier wanted access to his email. It was denied by the company until a court order was granted.

If Apple unlocks the device and such services are accessed without human interaction (originally, the grandmother had access since she knew the code), you have just violated her privacy (dead or not). Would YOU want to be on the receiving end of a lawsuit where there was information in those private accounts that caused harm to another individual she communicated with via those email accounts? Perhaps, she had a secret life and wanted it kept that way? Maybe she was the mistress of a married man and the disclosure would bring that to light, destroy what was left of his marriage, or open him to a civil litigation? Or, maybe, even a claim against the family of the deceased woman which might go after her assets.

We all kick and scream here about privacy. And, when a company, such as Apple ACTUALLY tries to do the right thing in protecting it, they are scorned and hated. That's why I say it sounds like most of the posts here are from Apple haters.

Let the family produce a court order to have Apple access the device. Apple can look up the serial number (assuming she registered the device) and find the associated Apple ID. And, one would presume they could then unlock the device if in their physical possession (assuming, there isn't some master unlock command they can send). They would, legally, have to wipe the DRM material from the devices or follow other instructions in the court order. And, to keep themselves out of trouble, delete the email accounts and other apps that might automatically log in to a private system BEFORE turning it over to the Executor (unless, the court order grants them legal and civil protection).

Pictures and documents might be stored on cloud services vs on the device itself. In that former case, I hope the family has the passwords to those services so they can access them.

As I get older, I realize that there is a possibility I could die anytime. And, I have to consider what I would want others to know about my "private" life or whether I would want full disclosure upon my death. It makes me think that it might be prudent to have instructions written into my Will and Last Testament so the Executor can carry out those final wishes with my electronic devices and online accounts without ambiguity. Definitely, something to think about.

People in our office respect the privacy of others. But, when collaboration is needed, having the people there makes all the difference - either for a quick discussion or to setup a conference room (so, as not to disturb others who are also working).

Besides, it keeps me from going nuts working out of my home office all day without seeing or speaking to another soul - humans are meant to be social creatures.

It's going to snow again tonight....I miss the office already...sigh.

They might be able to file for the business sake. But, technically, they are still on the hook for the lost value of the bitcoins. Bankruptcy doesn't free you of negligent or fraudulent action. Wouldn't want to be them.

I had an interesting run-in with the former head of our school board - seems he didn't care for a comment I made regarding issues of outsourcing. Turns out, he represented himself for years (10) as a local recruiter and project manager. Nobody challenged him during his tenure - they took him at his word that he represented US workers (vs US corporations). Turns out, he acts as a project manager for offshoring jobs. His website stated this rather clearly. Yet, nobody knew.

Our school district, once a very good one and highly rated, has had few students accepted in Ivy League and top tier schools since he took office. They programs were changed. And, while STEM was still taught, the level at which they are taught was subpar. This made it far easier for him to fill positions that should have been local with offshore workers where more emphasis was placed on STEM. Thankfully, he is no longer at the helm. But, the damage has been done and it will take years for the 10,000 students he and the rest of the school board disadvantaged during his tenure.

And, don't get me started on the change in curriculum that demphasised the arts and extended the school day with useless electives due to a deficit that was proven to be a $133M surplus but hidden in the budget.

The method of how the app was installed on a non-jail broken device was not discussed. While I would say that being able to capture touches and such by an background app is a potential threat, getting the software on a device is easier said than done.

Mobile Management Systems (MMS) have access to APIs that can also do these sorts of things.

I would venture that this was one using either developer mode or as an enterprise app and not through the the AppStore. Jailbroken devices are, clearly, more at risk.

Now...a bigger question. Can the same be done on Android devices? I am betting "Yes"????

The Red Paint was, likely, what the navy calls Red Lead. It's a lead-based primer used on ship to protect against corrosion. Perfect for stopping alpha and beta particles. The white paint is also, likely, lead-based but suitable as a base for regular paint.

I just wish they would use lead-based paint when painting the lines on roads...the new, non-lead stuff wears off too quickly. But, the eco-folks would probably have a bear (not literally).

Uh....I have been around 50 years and I remember each home having an antenna on its roof or rabbit ear antennas on top of their TV. They used 75 ohm wire...not coax. Coax for tv came with cable.

What I do remember is cable coming and people connecting to the decoder box and sharing it. The cable companies added encryption to stop he widespread sharing of their connection.

If you recall people connecting to a central aerial antenna, you must have lived in the stix or in are seriously economically depressed area as all it took was too wires attached to the screws on the back of your tv.

Amazing...you state truth with facts and some dipshit with an agenda on here marks your post as a Troll -1 while other's who subscribe to that moderator's point of view are marked "Insightful". WTF? So much for having your point of view heard because of one asswipe.

Been on this site for almost 15 years and only recently have I been marked as Troll because I don't subscribe to the current philosophy that everything the gov't does is bad. /. has gone to the dogs.

Scanning of plates is nothing new. As of the mid-2K's, there was software that would use a police car mounted camera to read plates, run it, and determine if there are any wants and warrants related to the vehicle. I, personally, know of several departments in other states that would also do this in parking lots at malls and shopping centers and run EVERY plate. Their CJIS laws permitted this within their states.

Parking authorities routinely use this technology to detect parking scofflaws. The little trucks drive slowly along a road and scan the plates of parked cars.

EZPass can be used to track individual vehicles (well, the tags).

AEI Tags are mounted on railcars (they are REALLY big RFID tags) to track those assets as they move. Most railcars are not owned by individual railroads - they come from a federally managed pool.

You phone has a SIMICCID or equivalent that is transmitted to a cell tower. Between the SIMICCID and built in GPS/AGPS chips, it's possible to locate and track a single phone even among a crowd of people. This is used to track "burner" phones back to their point of origin when used to detonate bombs in certain hostile regions. Yes, I know this for a fact.

E911 is built into EVERY modern phone and can pinpoint a cellphone within meters. You have to smash the phone to disable this feature - you can't turn it off. In some cases, turning off or taking the battery out won't work as there is a battery backup in the phone keeping it "alive".

Keep in mind, driving on public roads is a privilege - not a right. Public Safety trumps privacy in public places. Your plates are visible. This is unlike GPS tracking devices on vehicles which DO require a warrant and probable cause to install and activate. Surveillance crews do not a warrant to track you visually.

What you do in your bedroom (short of a violent crime) is private.

This initiative has been delayed simply because of the current outrage of what people perceive to be violations of their privacy. It will be back.