LANSING, Michigan (WILX) – Tweaking old features and introducing new ones, Apple has just released its annual operating system update for iPhones.
But this update comes with a warning from local law enforcement. They say the new iOS 17 software makes it easy to inadvertently share personal information with others.
Mobile phones make it easy to stay in touch with loved ones and access important information when you need it.
“I play video games. I connect with my friends online. I usually chat with them on our group chat that we have,” said teenage mobile phone user Ana-Mai Vincent.
Her mother, Tammy Garner, said she makes sure she has access to her daughter’s phone. A mother of four, Garner said she knows the passwords to her children’s phones.
Garner said she frequently checks their settings and online activity. “There are just too many variables out there in the world that people who could harm your child or even scam your child or try to scam your family through your child.
Another cause for concern comes from one of the biggest mobile phone companies. Apple’s latest operating system offers an AirDrop feature called NameDrop, which allows you to choose what information you want to share and who you want to share it with. A notification should pop up to accept or decline the sharing.
“Apple has it where the phones have to be in close proximity, you know, almost touching in order to share information,” said Christopher Simpson, Undersheriff of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Simpson said the department has received information suggesting that the feature is automatically enabled by default the moment you update your iPhone. He warns parents to turn it off to protect their children’s privacy.
“There are a lot of kids who have phones. And we definitely don’t want a kid bumping into somebody and giving out information that they didn’t mean to give out, and that information being used in the wrong way.”
Tammy said: “I wouldn’t want anybody’s phone to have access to my phone. I would not want anyone to have access to my children’s phones.
