Earlier quoted context omitted.
Get one of those credit card-sized phones like AIEK just for 911? They should be able to call 911 even without SIM card.
Right, so that's not even remotely a plausible solution for the OPs senario.
Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
31–40 of 268 posts
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#32Will it be possible to make an anonymous 911 call? There can be scenarios, I think, where we (society) do not want to deter someone from reporting an emergency due to fear of being identified. Off the top of my head, consider a situation involving organized crime taking place, where call centre staff (or law enforcement) may be compelled to leak the identity of a witness.
911 will always get your phone number, to make call-backs possible.
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
In what circumstances would you want to contact 911 but not reveal your location?
Maybe you just don't want your location ever being sent to a gov agency no matter your predicament.
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#34Good for Apple for helping to save lives. As someone who's had to wait for an ambulance while someone is dying I understand how horrible that wait is and how desperately you want them to get to you as quickly as possible. The second part of this however is to ensure it's not open to abuse (by criminals or the government) for non emergency calls.
I’d like to see Apple help subsidize the cost of upgrading the software required in rural emergency call centers if it’s required to interoperate with this new feature (perhaps coming out of their corporate social responsibility budget).
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
That is not the context of this news. The context here is recording pertinent information when a person chooses to request emergency law enforcement, medical, and fire services.
Imagine the call is from a gay bar (or the vicinity). The data leaks. Now coworkers know, none of them are okay with it (even if they never confirm their assumptions), and there are no legal protections when they get fired. There are a lot of non-obvious ways seemingly-innocent data can harm marginalized groups.
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#36Will it be possible to make an anonymous 911 call? There can be scenarios, I think, where we (society) do not want to deter someone from reporting an emergency due to fear of being identified. Off the top of my head, consider a situation involving organized crime taking place, where call centre staff (or law enforcement) may be compelled to leak the identity of a witness.
I don't think it's possible to make an anonymous 911 call unless you're using a public phone. I think this is ok, since 911 is specifically for emergencies and you generally want the police/EMS to know where you are immediately since seconds can count. I think of it a bit like implied consent in first aid: by calling 911 you are inherently consenting for your location to be shared since it is likely you are in some f…
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#37Will it be possible to make an anonymous 911 call? There can be scenarios, I think, where we (society) do not want to deter someone from reporting an emergency due to fear of being identified. Off the top of my head, consider a situation involving organized crime taking place, where call centre staff (or law enforcement) may be compelled to leak the identity of a witness.
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#38Hasn't 911 location been shared via gps location in pretty much every cellphone for the past decade?
I remember shitty verizon kyocera clamshells advertising gps for 911 in like 2004.
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#39Will it be possible to make an anonymous 911 call? There can be scenarios, I think, where we (society) do not want to deter someone from reporting an emergency due to fear of being identified. Off the top of my head, consider a situation involving organized crime taking place, where call centre staff (or law enforcement) may be compelled to leak the identity of a witness.
An anonymous 911 call is possible if the phone itself is anonymous. 911 will always get your phone number, to make call-backs possible.
Re: Apple sets up iPhones to relay location for 911 calls
#40Will it be possible to make an anonymous 911 call? There can be scenarios, I think, where we (society) do not want to deter someone from reporting an emergency due to fear of being identified. Off the top of my head, consider a situation involving organized crime taking place, where call centre staff (or law enforcement) may be compelled to leak the identity of a witness.