New technology could reduce thefts of MP3 players: experts
Published Monday December 1st, 2008
Across Canada, the number of people being robbed of their portable music players is rising.
The gadgets can be quickly snatched by thieves and resold on the street for as little as $20.
According to experts, new technology is available to deter such thefts. But so far, the companies that make music players have not adopted it.
"Security is the last consideration in getting a product out, absolutely. That's become pretty much the mantra in the technology world," says Prasad Gowdar, a Winnipeg-based consumer electronics commentator.
Music-player thefts, sometimes resulting in violence, have made headlines across the country.
Michael Oatway, 23, was sitting on the back of an Ottawa transit bus in September 2006 when he was stabbed to death by an assailant who allegedly demanded his iPod, according to prosecutors. The man accused of attacking him is currently on trial for first-degree murder.
In Winnipeg, police report a 15-year-old boy was robbed of his iPod outside a suburban mall this fall by a teenager who claimed to have a gun.
"We see more and more people, and especially young people, who have some of these expensive items, which of course is going to catch the eye of other young people who want to take them," said Winnipeg police Const. Pat Chabidon.
The robberies raise the question of whether MP3 players - which can cost hundreds of dollars and contain thousands of dollars worth of music - should have theft-deterrent measures that have already been adapted for other consumer goods.
Consider laptop computers. Many recent models come equipped with biometric technology that requires a user to scan a fingerprint before starting the machine. The machine is unusable by thieves or people buying them on the black market.
Carmakers have reduced auto thefts by equipping vehicles with immobilizers - small transponders that will not allow a vehicle to start unless it receives a signal from a chip embedded in the owner's key fob.
The transponder idea could be adapted to music players or any other portable device, according to Ashvin Goel, an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Toronto. Instead of being put in a key fob, the transponder chip could be attached to any personal object, such as a watch. Thieves would be hard-pressed to use or sell a device that has effectively been disabled.
"It's kind of like an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag, so as long as you're wearing your watch you can operate the device," Goel said.
"The moment the BlackBerry, or whatever your device is, goes too far away from your watch, you can potentially shut the device down."
Microsoft subsidiary Zune Canada calls the idea intriguing but has no short-term plans to adapt it.
"I think that's definitely an interesting scenario. Unfortunately, it probably wouldn't prevent (someone) from stealing it, it just means they wouldn't be able to get to your content once they did take it," said Elana Zur, product manager for Zune Canada.
Apple turned down a request for an interview about iPod security, and Creative Technology said it could provide no further information about its Zen units.
So far, the extent of security measures goes no further than a screen lock on the latest generation of Apple iPods and Microsoft Zunes. Once the screen is locked, the device cannot be used until the user punches in a four-digit secret combination.
The problem is, the iPod lock can be wiped out in about 15 seconds by attaching the device to a computer and using a technique widely seen on amateur YouTube videos.
A similar screen lock on Zunes offers to reset the device after three failed attempts to punch in the correct combination. Thieves can reset and use the player, but the songs and videos on it are erased.
"It's more of a privacy thing versus a theft-prevention strategy," Zur said.
Apple, meanwhile, is working on technology that would remotely disable an iPod's battery charger if the company suspects the unit has been stolen. It applied last year for a U.S. patent for the device, which has not yet hit the market.
In the absence of effective security measures from the manufacturers, other companies have come forward with products that might deter thieves, or at least give owners a chance of recovering their players. Oregon-based GadgetTrak sells software that can be installed on any portable media device.
Once the item is reported stolen, the program is activated the next time the player is plugged into any Internet-connected computer. The program sends the username, location and network address of the offending computer to GadgetTrak offices, where it is then passed on to police.
The program isn't foolproof - computer-savvy thieves might be able to block it.
So why haven't companies such as Apple and Microsoft embedded more security features in their music players? Gowdar, chief information officer with Internet marketing firm PCM International, suggests the additional cost is a factor, as is the fear that consumers might get turned off by having to enter passwords or carry transponders every time they want to listen to music.
"I think a lot of people would find it annoying," he said.
"Part of the appeal of iPods and smart phones is that they're not as complex as computers to use, and any kind of security adds complexity."
But with theft becoming an increasing problem, it may just be a matter of time before manufacturers are pressured into making the devices more difficult to steal.
"There's actually a huge need for essentially securing these devices so that people can't just walk away and hope to use them," Goel said.
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