Apple often trends online for many reasons; a new shiny product, Batterygate, terrible memory storage.
Recently however, an iPhone has been trending on Reddit for a bizarre reason: not having a camera.
"A camera-less iPhone issued to my buddy that works at a nuclear plant," they wrote anonymously on the platform. "No cameras allowed."
Apple does not sell phones without cameras, and many other users on Reddit agreed that it must have been altered by a third party.
It’s well known that some companies use Mobile Device Management (MDM) programs to put certain restrictions on staff phones, and companies like Airbus don’t allow their staff to have their phones out in the offices, but removing the cameras completely?
Apple has not yet responded for comment, however, a source I know who works in the nuclear sector said that it’s possible that this phone has been altered for use in a nuclear plant.
They told me that most active power plants do prohibit phones with cameras altogether, while other facilities require you to put a sticker over your lenses, although they did reveal that removing the camera completely seemed a step too far.
Citing security reasons, they said that one of the biggest threats in nuclear power is from ‘bad actors’ – internal people who might try to photograph security arrangements or control panels with a view to passing images on to terrorist organizations or governments.
A report by the Department of Homeland Security released earlier this year highlighted the threat emerging artificial intelligence technology poses to nuclear power.
The lack of regulations in U.S biological and chemical security and the increasing use of AI “could increase the likelihood of both intentional and unintentional dangerous research outcomes that pose a risk to public health, economic security, or national security," according to the DHS report.
John Cohen, the former Acting Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis at DHS said:
“Terrorists, criminals and other threat actors can use AI to acquire the instructions on how to develop explosives and other weapons of mass destruction. They can also glean greater insights on potential targets, and on delivery methods to use to achieve the greatest possible disruptive result."
Check out our guide to the best iPhone's for photography and the best iPhone microphone.
