Lookout is an application that runs on Android and iOS devices in order to protect them from theft and other security risks. But when your phone is stolen, the app can take a “theftie” of the person who did it and it can be tracked easily.
Why buying a phone when you can steal one? In 2013, over three million Americans were victims of thieves, who either kept their preys or sold them on the black market. From now on, you will be able to find your phone easily, thanks to an application called Lockout that comes with a new tool that can track suspects in case a phone is stolen.
Technology will help you recover your phone
If you lose your phone or it has been stolen from you, don’t panic. Geoffrey A. Fowler, a Personal Technology columnist, teaches you how to act, to recover your phone quickly. For example, Lockout “senses” that something is wrong when the phone’s password is mistyped more than three times. Immediately, you receive an email with the location of your device and the picture of the new “owner”.
Fowler did an experiment, asking a colleague to take his phone and to wander the streets. With the help of Lockout, he received a “Theftie” – a photo of the suspect, and the location where he is. In conclusion, the application really works!
Can “Thefties” violate someone’s privacy?
There’s a good part and a bad part about Lockout. It can find your phone, but it takes photos only when it considers that the phone might be stolen. But if the application takes pictures of anybody, doesn’t it violate their privacy? When Geoffrey Fowler asked the spokeswoman for the San Francisco Police Department about this issue, Sgt. Danielle Newman said that this application is used all the time to make arrests.
More and more phones come with this free application included. For example, Apple has the Find My iPhone application, while the Samsung Galaxy phones have Absolute LoJack, a similar software used in case of thefts.
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