“Frustrated iPod owners are angry, their music taken from them by thieves [that] Dateline caught on hidden camera,” Chris Hansen reports for NBC News.
“Dateline investigates if it’s possible, using some of the same high-tech capabilities that make the iPod the phenomenon it is, to track down people who take iPods that don’t belong to them,” Hansen reports.
“The iPod — it’s everywhere. Originally billed as ‘a thousand songs in your pocket,’ it can now hold up to 20,000 songs, 100 hours of video, 25,000 photos–and with a staggering 110 million sold, the device has become an international icon and in an indispensable part of life,” Hansen reports. “But… if you’ve got to have it, so do thieves.”
“We bought dozens of iPods. These were iPods that we’d use as bait to be stolen — or deliberately lost,” Hansen reports “We hired a software company, Blackfin Tech, to help us. Jefferson Jewell runs Blackfin. His solution? To simply demonstrate whether an iPod has the capability of being tracked, we’d create our own database — just like Apple has.”
“We’d try to get basic information from whoever plugged it in, in this case from people the iPods didn’t belong to,” Hansen reports. How would we get the information? Instead of putting used iPods out as bait, we’d use new ones that were brand new in the box. To a thief, they’d be exactly like the real thing.”
“Except for this: with a new iPod, the first thing you normally do is download Apple iTunes software, which allows you to buy and download music as well as provide basic information about the user to Apple,” Hansen reports.
“To get our bait iPods to work, whoever takes them will have to install a disc. What they won’t know is that when they click ‘I Agree’ on a licensing agreement that appears on-screen, they’ll be consenting to provide some of the same kind of information they provide Apple to Dateline,” Hansen reports.
Find out what happened in the full text article here or watch the video report here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “David” for the heads up.]
Should Apple track down missing iPods for free? Can they even do so for manpower and/or legal reasons? Perhaps, as Newsweek’s Steve Levy suggests in the full piece, Apple could offer such tracking as part of a paid service like AppleCare. In any case, it seems that Apple’s already working on a solution.
In the full article, Hansen also reports that “although Apple declined requests for interviews and comment regarding this report, the company — which consistently ranks at or near the top in customer satisfaction surveys in the tech world — might well turn out to be the hero in our story after all.”
“Why? Just recently came word from the U.S. Patent Office that Apple has applied for a new patent. In its application, Apple confirms that there is a ‘serious problem’ with iPod theft and that iPod owners have been seriously injured or even murdered for their iPods. And the company has proposed an ingenious solution to the problem: essentially, you can’t recharge the iPod or the new iPhone if you can’t prove the device is yours when you hook it up to iTunes,” Hansen reports.
It served Apple’s marketing purpose that iPods were being stolen…
…but now it’s gotten out of hand, so Apple devises a new more secure iPod for us to buy.
BUT it doesn’t cover the zillions already out there.
But Apple does INDEED track each iPod and the machine it’s put on by hardware serial number and MAC Address.
So if you registered your Apple hardware, it’s possible to track it if it appears online.
Famous Celebs had their hardware recovered.
I agree with everyone who says to take responsibility for your possesions. It is NO one else’s responsibility. Take out insurance for crying out loud. This sense of entitlement that is so pervasive in America is pathetic. I get a good dose of it weekly from my students who think that because they have company they don’t have to come to school or that it is the instructors’ responsibility to make sure they receive their assignments when they don’t ask for them. Then toss out attitude because THEY didn’t act like an adult and ask for it. You lost it – you just friggin’ lost it. You get it back -Cool. You don’t – Tough. Take care of your things. Friggin’ babies. It’s a thingie to play music on. Don’t get me wrong here. I love my old iPod and use it daily. And if my iPod was stolen or I lost it – I’d be bummed. Then you know what I would do? BUY ANOTHER ONE. You know what I would NOT do? COMPLAIN ABOUT APPLE NOT FINDING IT FOR ME. Look after your own stuff folks. Friggin’ babies. Grow the f**k up. Quit smokin crack or whatever it is that you did to get the wonderful little device to go away.
Oops.Did I get on soap box there? If Apple has some way to find a stolen device and are willing to do it. Cool. If not – cool.
Computers and iPods – keep current backups of info, get insurance, report the theft to the police, get your insurance check, reinstall your info. Am I being too old fashioned here?
MD – “press” as in Dateline : Our country has a list of very SERIOUS ills and they focus on iPod theft? It slight of hand folks. “Look over here.” Not where the real mess is happening.
…reinstall your info on your NEW computer or iPod…
1st off, they abandoned most of the ipod on the show. 2ndly, they used images of the ipod most likely without apples permission. 3rdly, it’s not apples responsibility to track down ipod, it’s the owners responsibility to keep track of their own property. chris hansen should keep to catching myspace and yahoo chat predators.
Where is my iPaaaaaad? The way that guy talks is just too funny.
Man, this idea stinks like Microsoft. I don’t want my iPod calling home to see if it’s okay to start playing. I have enough problems re-registering stuff after a HD crash or motherboard failure — which happens too damn much with my Mac machines. Oh, yeah, and hoping I have an iTunes authorization left for a repaired machine because I can only re-set to zero once a year.
MW: trouble Ha! Now that’s creepy.
I didn’t see the piece, but a coworker of mine did, and according to him, they simply left the iPods in a public location, such as on a park bench.
That isn’t theft–It’s finding. If I see an iPod, sitting abandoned on a park bench, and no one is around to claim it, you better believe I’m going to take it.
misanthrope, if you contact iTunes Customer Support they will happily de-register all your Macs so you can start again.
“always sending data back to Apple every time your iPod is plugged into your computer.”
No, only the first time, like today.
“I’m not providing Apple any of that information when I go to purchase an iTunes track or just plug my iPod into my computer”
If you say so, but what makes you different from everybody else in the world?
“I don’t want them to know that I’m looking at the new Kelly Clarkson, even if I’m purchasing the latest Interpol.”
because now when you browse the iTMS store and buy the song they don’t know?
“Americans need to stop thinking everyone else is supposed to take care of them. Wake up and be responsible!”
Quite right. When police stop a car they should never check the license plate thru their computer to see if it’s stolen because that’s really your problem.
“If a stolen item is more likely to be returned people will take less care of them and more will be stolen”
It’s not about getting your iPod back, that may never happen. it’s about killing the market for stolen iPods because people who steal or buy stolen ones know they turn into iBricks the first time you hook them to a PC and connect to iTMS. Just how much crack are they going to get for your useless, non resellable iPod.
“no, in a week, there would be a work around”
Maybe, but it will stop the casual thief, and since the only purpose of such a hack is to enable criminal behavior, the hacker would be up for one count of conspiracy to commit larceny for every iPod found with his software in.
“Actually that would be an interesting test. Leave your info in the bag, leave it and see who returns the iPod. Interesting thought.”
The law is very clear, if you find anything, even a $20 bill, even a nickel and know who the owner is, you must leave it alone or return it rather then take it for your own use. You’re just trying to justify being a thief.
“APPLE MUST RECOVER IT FOR ME OR THEY ARE A HORRIBLE, EVIL COMPANY!”
I don’t think any-one’s saying that. They’re saying that Apple keeps all this information anyway, so it would be so easy for them to help out in this situation and/or modify the product to make it less attractive to thieves. You know, how car makers started installing door locks, then making those locks less easy to jimmy and adding alarm systems and immobilizers over time as standard features to make it harder for people to steal their customer’s cars and get away with it, then adding things like OnStar.
Nobody expects Apple to do this, but it sure would be nice if rather than knowing they’re going to make another iPod sale to you and laughing all the way to the bank, they did something to make your iPod less desirable to thieves.
“Also, the piece itself shows why Apple should never, never, never give out registration info except when subpoenaed by a law enforcement agency”
No problem, other than remotely disabling the stolen iPod, Apple shouldn’t take any action without a law enforcement agency request, which ultimately begins with a verified request from somebody making a statement to police that they’re the legitimate owner and their iPod has been stolen.
“Take care of your things. Friggin’ babies.”
That’s right, when I’m held up a t gunpoint, I just lost it, likewise when somebody smashes into my car and steals it, I just lost it, likewise when they burglarize my house I’m just being careless. Thanks for clarifying that all crime in society is the victim’s fault.
What are your views on murder and rape? Clearly the victims were asking for it, or just needed to be more careful. No need to investigate more than that.
“That isn’t theft–It’s finding. If I see an iPod, sitting abandoned on a park bench, and no one is around to claim it, you better believe I’m going to take it.”
See that just makes you a thief. I’m going to leave it there figuring it won’t take long for the real owner to realize they’ve lost their package and retrace their route.
How do you feel when you see cars that you know are not yours parked by the side of a street? They could have been abandoned you know…
It would be great for Apple to please the customers but why would they?! Sayan ipod gets stolen what stops half those people from buying a new one and apple raking in the profit for it? Apple wont do anything I got my ipod stolen a year ago and no one did anything. I dont think its gonna change. So good luck
A business associate had his Camry stolen recently on a trip to Tucson, AZ. Why won’t Toyota help him recover it?
GM can track down stolen vehicles with OnStar. Can’t best-selling Toyota do the same?
As for the iPod, IMO Apple really should have iTunes check the ID of any iPod plugged into it. If an iPod is known as stolen, iTunes should lock the iPod down, forcing a trip to an Apple Store for service (and hopefully arrest).
Ohhh better yet, offer the thief a certificate for, say, 100 free iTunes songs. They just have to enter in their home address or bring the iPod to an Apple Store. Bust them when they take the bait.
It wouldn’t be perfect but it’d be a start.