Looting has taken place across the United States following the death of George Floyd. (Image credit: Bloomberg)
Apple has started tracking down iPhones that have been stolen from its retail stores during the recent protests in the US. People have started posting images of the iPhones on Twitter that have apparently stolen from US stores.
“Please return to Apple Walnut Street,” read the message of an iPhone stolen from an Apple store in Philadelphia, according to social media posts. “This device has been disabled and is being tracked. Local authorities will be alerted.
Stolen iPhones are not usable outside Apple stores. Basically, iPhones that are being on display at Apple stores come installed with special tracking software. This software helps Apple to track stolen iPhones.
Apple’s retail stores have been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the company recently announced that it would start opening over 100 stores in the US. But last week, several Apple retail stores were looted in cities including New York, Los Angeles and Washington. The looting happened following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, died last Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. The death of Floyd has sparked outrage and protests in Minneapolis and across the United States.
APPLE DISABLED THE PHONES THAT WERE LOOTED pic.twitter.com/9xp1HhOAeR
— mJ (@disposablefilms) May 31, 2020
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Not just Apple stores but looters also targeted several high-end stores in Portland and Los Angeles. Rioters reportedly stole luxury products worth US$85,000 from the Louis Vuitton store in Portland, Oregon.
Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai to Mark Zuckerberg: Top tech CEOs react to George Floyd killing
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sent a memo to employees over the weekend where he condemned the killing of Floyd and called for the creation of a “better, more just world for everyone.”
“To our colleagues in the Black community — we see you,” he said. “You matter, your lives matter, and you are valued here at Apple.”