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June 21, 2008
BehindTheMedspeak: Does dialing 911 on an iPhone violate its terms of service?
The highlighted item above was a parenthetical aside in a post that appeared yesterday on nexus404.com headlined "iPhone’s Web browser Used To Control Unmanned Aerial Vehicles."
If true (is it? I know there are readers who can find out in a Mountain View minute) it's an interesting bit of fine print.
So much for using the inevitable video capability of the device for remote diagnosis and treatment.
Though it's hard to see how Apple could possibly police such uses without a built-in real-time video search function far more capable — and Orwellian — than any such technology commercially available today.
Perhaps it's just something the Cupertino lawyerbots threw in until the Good Samaritan laws catch up to the 21st century.
[via Ray Earhart]
June 21, 2008 at 10:01 AM | Permalink
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Comments
The license in question is not for the iPhone itself; it would of course be ridiculous to forbid users of a phone from using it to call emergency services. What the Nexus404 writer meant to say was that the license is for the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK). That license does indeed forbid application developers from writing software that'll do a few things about which, presumably, Apple wish to have a monopoly.
The most notable of these forbidden types of software is "real-time route guidance" (i.e. GPS navigation systems). Here's an article about this.
Posted by: Daniel Rutter | Jun 22, 2008 5:55:36 AM
the warning on the iphone drafted by some lawyer is not too different than what i read on the label of my jar of peanut butter today. following the list the ingredients contained in the peanut butter was a brief sentence in bold type " Caution, contains peanuts" i guess that was thrown in to dissuade people with peanut allergies from eating the stuff. i guess. that's what i think now but tomorrow i may think different.
Posted by: rob | Jun 21, 2008 11:24:07 PM
From http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/articles-resources/iphone-terms.jsp
"Voice: If you have a voice-capable device, unless you request voice blocking, select a data plan that restricts voice access or select a qualified voice plan, the default rate for voice calls on the AT&T network are 40¢ per minute and 69¢ per minute for domestic roaming voice calls off the AT&T network (rates are subject to change without notice). Additional taxes and surcharges may apply. See AT&T Nation® map at store or www.att.com for default voice coverage area. If you request voice blocking or your selected data plan restricts voice access, all voice calling capabilities (except for outgoing calls from the device to 911 or 611) will be blocked, including without limitation, calls from 911 or 611 to the device."
IRL, I have the direct-to-local-emergency-dispatch numbers in my phone for my usual locations, because it's a lot faster than going through the mobile 911 system.
Posted by: Liz Ditz | Jun 21, 2008 3:54:32 PM
I also remembering Apple banning any of their products being used for the development or operation of nuclear weapons.
Posted by: clifyt | Jun 21, 2008 1:10:32 PM
