The civil unrest that drove the world following the proclaimed death of George Floyd after Officer Derek Chauvin knelt for almost nine minutes on his neck has ignited violent outbursts and looting.
But Apple AAPL, which has witnessed its stores in several locations including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, Portland, and Washington, DC burglarized and broken, is not letting go of their stolen devices easily.
According to CNN, stolen iPhones from Apple stores during the protests in the US over the death of African-American George Floyd are receiving clear messages from Apple that they are being tracked.
Apple is currently disabling iPhones that were looted from its retail stores, making the devices inoperable.
Earlier this week, screenshots of the warning message from Apple started to pop up on social media sites such as Reddit and Twitter amidst the global protests which followed after George Floyd's death.
In a report by Fox Business, Apple stores across the United States, which started to reopen after being closed for months due to the global pandemic, have reported theft and vandalism during the recent protests over Floyd's death in several locations.
Other retailers including Amazon's Whole Food, Target, and Walmart have also shut stores or lessen their operating hours due to the widespread demonstrations. Curfews have been enforced in several cities, which include Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC to discourage the looting and destruction that has broken out amidst the several protest demonstrations
On a post on Twitter, Apple sent a message asking the user to return the device to Apple Walnut Street referencing Apple's Philadelphia location. And messaged that the device is currently being tracked, has been disabled, and that local authorities will be alarmed.
According to a report, a message on the device popped up alerting the user to return the iPhone to the store and that it is disabled. There is still no official statement on whether the company is also doing the same thing with the stolen Apple laptops, watches, and tablets. It is unclear whether Apple or law enforcement has intentions with the collected data of each device.
Apple (AAPL) refused to give comments on security matters
Notwithstanding, the action is not particular to the occurring protests. It's been long reported that the company has installed hidden software with special purposes on disabling and tracking the location of stolen iPhones on Apple retailer stores. The existence of this special software has now been proven. The software does not apply to purchased iPhones.
On Sunday, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, sent a memo to Apple's employees calling George Floyd's killing senseless and noted that it is not the time for standing on the sidelines. Cook committed to donating to human rights groups, which includes the Equal Justice Initiative.
On a statement by Cook, he said that their colleagues in the Black community are seen. He also added that the black people and their lives matter and they are being valued by Apple.
Apple managed to restore about 256 of its retail stores out of more than 500 globally, as the company aims to safely resume its operations.
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