Latest news with #GaryDavis
Los Angeles Times
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Even if strikes were successful, that doesn't mean Iran's nuclear ambitions are gone
To the editor: Multiple things can be true at the same time. Our Air Force personnel may have been very brave and executed their mission flawlessly, our massive bombs may have worked perfectly and the underground facility at Fordo may have been obliterated, but still that does not mean Iran's nuclear program was destroyed and it certainly doesn't mean its nuclear ambitions have ended ('U.S. strikes crippled Iran's nuclear program, Israeli analysis finds,' June 25). Satellite imagery showed a massive convoy of trucks going in and out of Fordo just days before the strikes. Were they there to change the drapes? It seems impossible the facility could have been moved in a day, but 900 pounds of radioactive dust? If it was packed to go, even Amazon could have delivered that. And speaking of radiation, where is it? Ending Iran's nuclear ambitions? Did Pearl Harbor end America's will to fight World War II? It is truly no insult to the Air Force to say they may have destroyed Fordo but not saved the world. Israel's strategy to bring us into the war by bombing first mirrors that of General Turgidson in 'Dr. Strangelove.' Let's hope our apparently successful demolition of the mountain laboratory doesn't mirror the ending of that movie. Gary Davis, Los Angeles
Newsweek
06-06-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Apple and Google Face Accusations of Enabling Thieves Through Device Policies
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Apple and Google have been accused by UK lawmakers and police officials of not doing enough to stem a lucrative international black market in stolen smartphones. During a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday, June 3, Members of Parliament and the Metropolitan Police called on the tech giants to block stolen devices from accessing cloud services, a move they argue would drastically reduce resale value and help deter theft. Police said they have recorded 80,000 stolen phones in London in 2024—a 25% rise from 2023. Most of the thefts involve iPhones, and officials estimate the trade generates up to £50 million ($67,837,542) annually. Many devices are trafficked abroad to markets in Algeria, China and Hong Kong. Stock image of a Google smartphone and the Apple logo. Stock image of a Google smartphone and the Apple logo. Photo by Vadym Plysiuk / Getty Images Why It Matters Police officials argue that stolen smartphones are fueling violence and organized crime in the UK. The police want companies to block stolen phones based on their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers and prevent them from accessing Apple and Google cloud services. While UK mobile networks already use IMEI blacklists, these blocks do not apply globally, which leaves a loophole for international criminal networks. What to Know Despite calls dating back to 2023, Apple and Google have not implemented the requested global blocks. Both companies raised concerns during the hearing that those measures could be exploited for fraud. "We worry, and we have had these discussions with the Met, that there is a vector for fraud," Gary Davis, global senior director for privacy and law enforcement at Apple, said during the session, as reported by The Register. Davis added, "Every month, over 1,000 people try to imitate legitimate users to seek data from us and delete accounts." Simon Wingrove, Google's software engineering manager, told MPs that "Android devices can be blocked from accessing the cloud services after they are stolen," but cautioned that changes based on IMEI data would require industry-wide coordination. What People Are Saying Former policing minister Kit Malthouse said it seemed Apple was "dragging your feet and sitting behind this is a very strong commercial incentive". He added, "The fact that £50m of phones are stolen in London every year—if that stopped, that would be £50m in sales that would be depressed." In a statement to Newsweek, Google said, "Google does not profit from phone theft. For years, Android has invested in advanced theft protection features, including the industry's first Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock, to help prevent theft and block stolen devices. "We've built and evolved these features by listening to victims and partnering closely with law enforcement and industry." Newsweek reached out to Apple requesting further comment on June 4. What's Next Security firms have suggested that a central cloud-level block tied to the IMEI system could be feasible, provided devices are registered from their first activation. Dion Price, CEO of the locking tech firm Trustonic, told MPs that his company offers that service for clients, according to The Register. "If we get the signal from the legitimate owner of that device, then we can lock or unlock it within 30 seconds anywhere in the world," he said. Meanwhile, police in London have begun deploying high-speed e-bikes to pursue snatchers and reported a 15% drop in thefts during April and May. However, officials warned this reduction is likely due to increased enforcement and public awareness, and is not a permanent fix.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple tells Met to embrace ‘traditional policing' in clash over phone thefts
Apple has told the Metropolitan Police to focus on 'traditional policing' to tackle a surge in mobile phone thefts. Gary Davis, a senior executive at the iPhone-maker, said police were not fully investigating some phone thefts in Britain by seeking information about the stolen devices from Apple. In a hearing before MPs on the science, innovation and technology committee, Mr Davis was asked whether Apple should be doing more to build a technical solution to phone thefts. He replied: 'I would want to make sure that as part of all of that the Met Police continues to do traditional policing, which means sending requests to us for stolen devices and Apple responding to those requests for stolen devices. We are not seeing that.' It came after senior police officials urged tech companies to consider new technical ways of preventing theft. The Met wants mobile phone makers to use a unique number linked to a phone's modem chip – which connects to mobile networks – to identify phones that are reported stolen and block them. Police believe up to three quarters of stolen phones are moved abroad, with 28pc ending up in China or Hong Kong and many in Algeria. The Met recorded more than 80,000 phone thefts in 2024, up by a quarter on 2023 levels. Credit: Met Police Once overseas, these phones become more difficult to track. While UK networks can implement some blocking on the 'IMEI' chip numbers of stolen phones, this is more patchy internationally. Speaking on Tuesday, Darren Scates, the Met's chief digital officer, said one proposal that was being 'considered by Apple and Google' was to 'stop a smart phone serial number being allowed to connect to their services if it is reported as lost or stolen'. The police say this would make the device worthless. Mr Scates added that technology companies had provided methods to 'lock the device' remotely, but some criminals had means of cracking this. Technology chiefs have raised concerns over the risks of allowing more remote locking tools. Mr Davis said the industry was wary about whether such a system could become a 'vector for fraud', with people potentially being able to make false claims that phones have been stolen, leading to devices being automatically blocked. The hearing comes amid growing scrutiny over spiralling crime rates across the UK. The Met has warned that there are growing links between knife crime, child exploitation gangs, drugs and mobile phone theft, with some gangs 'pivoting' from selling illegal drugs to stealing handsets. Speaking to executives from Apple, Google and Samsung, Kit Malthouse, the senior Conservative MP, suggested that technology companies have been 'dragging their feet' on coming up with a technical solution. However, Mr Davis said attention also needed to be focussed on the police response to mobile phone theft, saying: 'We need the requests to come to us. We need to give them the responses. 'They need to use the information we provide to them in order to identify where the phones are being stolen, and I assume therefore target resources. I am not just seeing those resources coming through to us.' Apple said it had introduced a new Stolen Device Protection feature, which requires a Face ID check to access certain phone features, rather than just a code. It has also added technology that can remotely prevent stolen phone parts being stripped and re-used. Google, meanwhile, has added an artificial intelligence feature to its Android software that can detect if a phone has been snatched. In response to Apple's claims, Mr Scates said: 'The Met shares details of devices reported as stolen with the National Mobile Property Register twice a day and this information is available to Apple and Google. They also receive data from phone networks and customers. 'We are focused on tacking phone theft and encourage manufactures to make it harder for organised criminals to profit from this crime by preventing a stolen device from connecting to cloud services.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Apple tells Met to embrace ‘traditional policing' in clash over phone thefts
Apple has told the Metropolitan Police to focus on 'traditional policing' to tackle a surge in mobile phone thefts. Gary Davis, a senior executive at the iPhone-maker, said police were not fully investigating some phone thefts in Britain by seeking information about the stolen devices from Apple. In a hearing before MPs on the science, innovation and technology committee, Mr Davis was asked whether Apple should be doing more to build a technical solution to phone thefts. He replied: 'I would want to make sure that as part of all of that the Met Police continues to do traditional policing, which means sending requests to us for stolen devices and Apple responding to those requests for stolen devices. We are not seeing that.' It came after senior police officials urged tech companies to consider new technical ways of preventing theft. The Met wants mobile phone makers to use a unique number linked to a phone's modem chip – which connects to mobile networks – to identify phones that are reported stolen and block them. Police believe up to three quarters of stolen phones are moved abroad, with 28pc ending up in China or Hong Kong and many in Algeria. The Met recorded more than 80,000 phone thefts in 2024, up by a quarter on 2023 levels. Once overseas, these phones become more difficult to track. While UK networks can implement some blocking on the 'IMEI' chip numbers of stolen phones, this is more patchy internationally. Speaking on Tuesday, Darren Scates, the Met's chief digital officer, said one proposal that was being 'considered by Apple and Google' was to 'stop a smart phone serial number being allowed to connect to their services if it is reported as lost or stolen'. The police say this would make the device worthless. Mr Scates added that technology companies had provided methods to 'lock the device' remotely, but some criminals had means of cracking this. Technology chiefs have raised concerns over the risks of allowing more remote locking tools. Mr Davis said the industry was wary about whether such a system could become a 'vector for fraud', with people potentially being able to make false claims that phones have been stolen, leading to devices being automatically blocked. The hearing comes amid growing scrutiny over spiralling crime rates across the UK. The Met has warned that there are growing links between knife crime, child exploitation gangs, drugs and mobile phone theft, with some gangs 'pivoting' from selling illegal drugs to stealing handsets. Speaking to executives from Apple, Google and Samsung, Kit Malthouse, the senior Conservative MP, suggested that technology companies have been 'dragging their feet' on coming up with a technical solution. However, Mr Davis said attention also needed to be focussed on the police response to mobile phone theft, saying: 'We need the requests to come to us. We need to give them the responses. 'They need to use the information we provide to them in order to identify where the phones are being stolen, and I assume therefore target resources. I am not just seeing those resources coming through to us.' Apple said it had introduced a new Stolen Device Protection feature, which requires a Face ID check to access certain phone features, rather than just a code. It has also added technology that can remotely prevent stolen phone parts being stripped and re-used. Google, meanwhile, has added an artificial intelligence feature to its Android software that can detect if a phone has been snatched.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple tells Met to embrace ‘traditional policing' in clash over phone thefts
Apple has told the Metropolitan Police to focus on 'traditional policing' to tackle a surge in mobile phone thefts. Gary Davis, a senior executive at the iPhone-maker, said police were not fully investigating some phone thefts in Britain by seeking information about the stolen devices from Apple. In a hearing before MPs on the science, innovation and technology committee, Mr Davis was asked whether Apple should be doing more to build a technical solution to phone thefts. He replied: 'I would want to make sure that as part of all of that the Met Police continues to do traditional policing, which means sending requests to us for stolen devices and Apple responding to those requests for stolen devices. We are not seeing that.' It came after senior police officials urged tech companies to consider new technical ways of preventing theft. The Met wants mobile phone makers to use a unique number linked to a phone's modem chip – which connects to mobile networks – to identify phones that are reported stolen and block them. Police believe up to three quarters of stolen phones are moved abroad, with 28pc ending up in China or Hong Kong and many in Algeria. The Met recorded more than 80,000 phone thefts in 2024, up by a quarter on 2023 levels. This embedded content is not available in your region. Credit: Met Police Once overseas, these phones become more difficult to track. While UK networks can implement some blocking on the 'IMEI' chip numbers of stolen phones, this is more patchy internationally. Speaking on Tuesday, Darren Scates, the Met's chief digital officer, said one proposal that was being 'considered by Apple and Google' was to 'stop a smart phone serial number being allowed to connect to their services if it is reported as lost or stolen'. The police say this would make the device worthless. Mr Scates added that technology companies had provided methods to 'lock the device' remotely, but some criminals had means of cracking this. Technology chiefs have raised concerns over the risks of allowing more remote locking tools. Mr Davis said the industry was wary about whether such a system could become a 'vector for fraud', with people potentially being able to make false claims that phones have been stolen, leading to devices being automatically blocked. The hearing comes amid growing scrutiny over spiralling crime rates across the UK. The Met has warned that there are growing links between knife crime, child exploitation gangs, drugs and mobile phone theft, with some gangs 'pivoting' from selling illegal drugs to stealing handsets. Speaking to executives from Apple, Google and Samsung, Kit Malthouse, the senior Conservative MP, suggested that technology companies have been 'dragging their feet' on coming up with a technical solution. However, Mr Davis said attention also needed to be focussed on the police response to mobile phone theft, saying: 'We need the requests to come to us. We need to give them the responses. 'They need to use the information we provide to them in order to identify where the phones are being stolen, and I assume therefore target resources. I am not just seeing those resources coming through to us.' Apple said it had introduced a new Stolen Device Protection feature, which requires a Face ID check to access certain phone features, rather than just a code. It has also added technology that can remotely prevent stolen phone parts being stripped and re-used. Google, meanwhile, has added an artificial intelligence feature to its Android software that can detect if a phone has been snatched. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
