After George Floyd, a Black man in Minnesota, died from a “neck restraint” by police, protests sweeping the entire US erupted. The demonstrations spread from Minnesota to dozens of states, and many of the peaceful protests in those states turned into violent riots, with many stores damaged and looted.
Zane Sparling, a reporter for the Portland Tribune, filmed video of the same store showing people entering the darkened store and running off with Apple products, including those left on display stands and shelves.
According to ABC, on the night of the 30th, protesters also damaged other businesses and restaurants in Scottsdale Waterfront and Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona. Video shows dozens of people rushing back into an Apple Store after breaking in through the entrance, trying to grab iPhones and MacBooks.
Apple Warns Devices Are Disabled and Tracked
But what these lawbreakers didn’t expect is that Apple has strict controls over its own demo and for-sale electronics — stolen goods including iPhones will be disabled and tracked.
A user “exposed” on Twitter on May 31, posting a photo of the iPhone in their hand, which displayed: “Please return to Apple Walnut Street store. This device has been disabled and is being tracked and local police will be notified.”
Apple’s iPhone tracking technology is nothing new. Through the “Find My” feature on Apple devices, the iPhone’s owner can easily locate the device. On Apple’s official support page, Apple’s advice is: “If your device is lost, set it to Lost Mode to lock it immediately and start tracking its location.”
According to Forbes on June 2, there have long been rumors that Apple operates some sensing software that disables a device once someone takes it illegally from an Apple store. The outside world still knows little about the actual use of this anti-theft measure, but this social-media exposure gave a glimpse.