(IntegrityTimes.com) – A new phone feature for Apple’s latest iPhone update has prompted warnings from law enforcement officials. The iOS 17 software update introduced “NameDrop,” which lets users quickly share their contact information with other people just by holding their devices near each other.
Middleton, Ohio’s Division of Police issued a warning to parents on Facebook following the release of the update. The department wrote, “Don’t forget to change these settings on your child’s phone to help keep them safe.” The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office provided instructions for parents to switch the “Bringing Devices Together” option off. The toggle button is located in the Airdrop section in the device settings.
Apple released information about the feature on its website, including how to cancel the transfer of contact information before it completes by locking the device or moving away from the connected device. Apple also said that once the phones are connected, the user can select whether they wish to send their information or receive the other person’s. The company also clarified that the feature is not for updating information for existing contacts, but only for new ones.
While the iPhone is handily one of the most popular devices on the market, this new feature is not the first that users have opted out of using. During the pandemic, one software update introduced Face ID that would work while wearing a mask. Another update allowed the company and Google to contact trace users who provided positive test results for the virus.
As technology becomes more advanced, people have grown skeptical about the intentions of software developers. In mid-November, multiple staff researchers working at the artificial intelligence company OpenAI sent a letter to the company’s board to warn them of a potentially dangerous discovery that “could threaten humanity.”
According to Reuters, the project named Q* is reportedly an advanced type of AI, called artificial general intelligence (AGI) that could allow for the automation of certain tasks in such a way that they exceed human limitations.
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