If we put a massive condom over comrade jobs big head and even bigger mouth, would we be safe from him?
W7NI
Kids are going to be sexting a lot less if Apple has anything to say about it. The company on Tuesday was approved for a patent for technology that would prevent people from sending or receiving text messages with objectionable content.
The patent includes a parental control "that evaluates whether or not the communication contains approved text based on, for example, objective ratings criteria or a user's age or grade level, and if unauthorized, prevents such text from being included in text-based communication," according to a
copy of the patent posted online.
The control allows certain buzz words to be replaced or questionable texts to be blocked all together. "In some embodiments, a message will be blocked (incoming or outgoing) if the message includes forbidden content," Apple wrote. "In other embodiments, the objectionable content is removed from the message prior to transmission or as part of the receiving process."
The official title is "Text-based communication control for personal communication device," and Apple first applied for the patent in January 2008.
The story was first reported by TechCrunch, which pointed out that while the word "sexting" is not used in the actual patent, the practice is the likely target. It does not appear that Apple is trying to ban all adult-themed banter from its devices, however. The patent would likely apply to an optional parental control product, much like Web-blocking software you might install on your PC.
On Tuesday, Apple was also awarded a trademark for the ubiquitous app store-promoting phrase, "There's an app for that."
