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Apple Accused of Profiting as UK Battles Surge in Phone Thefts

As smartphone thefts soar in the UK, lawmakers are questioning whether tech giants like Apple and Google are doing enough to curb the problem, or if they benefit from the ongoing crisis.

Rising Thefts and Skepticism Over Solutions
In 2024, 80,000 phones were stolen in London alone, a 25% increase from 2023’s 64,000 thefts, with a total street value of £20 million ($27 million). The Metropolitan Police have urged Apple and Google to block stolen devices from accessing cloud services, which would render them useless and slash resale profits.

However, UK politicians argue the companies are dragging their feet. Martin Wrigley, a member of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, accused them of prioritizing profits over consumer safety:
"Apple and Google continue to profit because stolen phones aren’t removed from the system. You owe it to customers worldwide to implement this immediately, no excuses."

Tech Giants Defend Their Measures
Both companies highlighted existing anti-theft features, but skepticism remains:
- Google’s Simon Wingrove insisted their protections work well.
- Apple’s Gary Davis warned that fully disabling devices could enable fraud, such as data hijacking or blackmail.

Kit Malthouse, a former policing minister, suggested financial motives:
"If 50 million stolen phones vanished from the market, sales would drop."
Apple’s Davis countered:
"We don’t profit from theft. We’ve invested hundreds of millions in safeguards to protect users from trauma."

Police Highlight Organized Crime Links
Commander James Conway revealed that thieves, often teens on e-bikes, target high-end iPhones (£300–£400 resale value) and use Faraday bags to evade tracking. Stolen phones are quickly funneled to black markets abroad, where demand for premium devices outstrips legal supply.

Despite a 15% drop in thefts this spring (with phone thefts down two-thirds), police call the progress fragile.

The Bottom Line
While Apple and Google tout security efforts, UK officials demand faster action, suspecting corporate profits may outweigh consumer safety in the calculus.

The National Mobile Property Register: Reuniting Owners with Stolen Goods and Disrupting the Illicit Market

The National Mobile Property Register (NMPR) is a centralized database used by police and law enforcement agencies across the UK to help return recovered phones and other high-value, serial-numbered items to their rightful owners.

Key functions of the NMPR include:

- Owner Identification: Provides real-time access to reports of lost or stolen items, enabling officers to quickly identify and return recovered property to verified owners.
- Data Integration: Aggregates information from diverse sources, including public reporting platforms (e.g., Immobilise, Report My Loss), mobile carriers, insurers, retailers, and second-hand traders, into a single, searchable system.
- Crime Deterrence: Helps curb theft by allowing traders and recyclers to check an item’s status before purchase or resale, thereby disrupting the market for stolen goods.
- Support for Prosecutions: Supplies reliable, time-stamped records that can be used as evidence in criminal proceedings related to theft and handling stolen property.

In a related development, Apple has indicated it is exploring measures to block the use of a device’s IMEI, the unique 15-digit identifier used to connect to mobile networks, once the phone is registered as stolen, further strengthening the ecosystem of device recovery and theft prevention.

Apple And Google Have Reinstated TikTok In Their U.S. App Marketplaces.

An executive directive from U.S. President Donald Trump temporarily halts the app's prohibition in the nation until the beginning of April.

Apple and Google have reinstated TikTok in their American app stores, following a brief ban of less than a month imposed on the Chinese-owned social media application. According to Bloomberg, the decision to allow the app's return came after Pam Bondi, the newly appointed US Attorney General, assured the tech companies in a letter that they would not face penalties for offering the app. Additionally, reports from earlier this month indicated that US Vice President JD Vance has been assigned to manage the discussions regarding a potential sale of TikTok.

The ban on TikTok, which was confirmed by the US Supreme Court last month, caused the ByteDance-owned social media platform to be temporarily taken offline on January 18. However, just a few hours later, TikTok announced that it was resuming its services in the country, citing “efforts by President Trump” as the reason. During the period when the app was unavailable for download from the two major app stores, people who already had it installed on their devices were able to keep using it.

Trump, who has frequently changed his stance on TikTok over the years, issued a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, just days before his inauguration. In the statement, he urged companies not to allow TikTok to remain inactive.

On his inaugural day as president, he signed an executive directive instructing the Justice Department not to enforce the legislation initiated by previous president Joe Biden. This legislation mandates that TikTok must separate from its Chinese parent, ByteDance, or face prohibition within the United States. Trump's directive has effectively postponed the enforcement of this ban by 75 days, extending the deadline to early April. This extension is intended to allow the president to methodically assess the most suitable path forward.

Nonetheless, Apple and Google did not immediately reinstate TikTok in their app stores following Trump's directive. Furthermore, Apple also imposed a ban on a total of 11 apps owned by ByteDance in the country, including CapCut, a widely-used video editing app; Lemon8, a social media platform similar to Instagram; as well as TikTok; TikTok Studio; and TikTok Shop.

Concerns regarding TikTok were initially highlighted by Trump during his first term, as he issued an executive order in 2020 aiming to compel the app to separate from ByteDance or face a prohibition in the United States. He asserted that this action was crucial to safeguarding the nation's security, foreign relations, and economy, which he believed were 'endangered' due to the app's ties to China. However, the executive order was blocked by the US District Court. In 2024, then-President Joe Biden successfully enacted a law that would prohibit TikTok in the United States unless it disengaged from ByteDance—a measure that Trump now opposes.

Apple Inc.

Stay updated with Apple's cutting-edge advancements as they continuously push the boundaries of technology with their Mac, iPhone, and iOS product lines. The latest updates from Apple are setting unprecedented benchmarks in the tech world, offering a myriad of enhanced features, superior performance, and groundbreaking designs.

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Moreover, iOS updates bring a wealth of new functionalities emphasizing user privacy and security, seamless integration across various devices, and an intuitive user interface. Features such as enhanced Face ID, App Tracking Transparency, and improved Siri capabilities contribute to a more secure and personalized experience, while the integration with other Apple devices ensures a cohesive and fluid ecosystem.

With these advancements, Apple continues to lead the charge in offering a user-centric and innovative experience that aligns with modern technological demands. To delve deeper into these groundbreaking developments and understand their significant impact on the future of technology.

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