Jailbreaking Background
When one hears the term jailbreaking, they usually think of it in terms of jailbreaking an iPhone. In that sense, jailbreaking is the act of modifying the iPhone’s firmware so that it can run third party applications and change settings that are outside of the bounds set by the manufacturer (Apple). While the term jailbreak is usually reserved for iPhones, other devices can also be in effect “jailbroken.” For example, on phones running Android software, users can “root” the phone, allowing them to run “unsinged code”1 – which is analogous to what jailbreaking on an iPhone does. Why do people jailbreak or root their phones? To put it very simply, doing so allows users to perform actions these actions that the manufacturer does not let them do – for example, adding additional icons to the dock on iPhones, or customizing the theme. Jailbreaking also allows users to install applications that have not been specifically approved by Apple, or to obtain copies of applications from sources other than the official Apple app store. Developers in various jailbreak markets can publish apps and even sell them to users just like the Apple app store. However, users can also distribute “paid” version of apps from the official App store. Jailbroken iPhone users can also use features that do not currently exist on their device. For example, on previous versions of iOS, you had to jailbreak your device in order to get …show more content…
When it comes to the ethics of jailbreaking, the theory of utilitarianism can be of particular use. Without getting into the specifics of the theory, utilitarianism is the idea that we should act in ways that maximizes “utility” – which will be defined here as benefits, for the most amount of people (society as a whole). In terms of jailbreaking, utilitarianism can be used to argue for, as well as against the ethicality of
When one hears the term jailbreaking, they usually think of it in terms of jailbreaking an iPhone. In that sense, jailbreaking is the act of modifying the iPhone’s firmware so that it can run third party applications and change settings that are outside of the bounds set by the manufacturer (Apple). While the term jailbreak is usually reserved for iPhones, other devices can also be in effect “jailbroken.” For example, on phones running Android software, users can “root” the phone, allowing them to run “unsinged code”1 – which is analogous to what jailbreaking on an iPhone does. Why do people jailbreak or root their phones? To put it very simply, doing so allows users to perform actions these actions that the manufacturer does not let them do – for example, adding additional icons to the dock on iPhones, or customizing the theme. Jailbreaking also allows users to install applications that have not been specifically approved by Apple, or to obtain copies of applications from sources other than the official Apple app store. Developers in various jailbreak markets can publish apps and even sell them to users just like the Apple app store. However, users can also distribute “paid” version of apps from the official App store. Jailbroken iPhone users can also use features that do not currently exist on their device. For example, on previous versions of iOS, you had to jailbreak your device in order to get …show more content…
When it comes to the ethics of jailbreaking, the theory of utilitarianism can be of particular use. Without getting into the specifics of the theory, utilitarianism is the idea that we should act in ways that maximizes “utility” – which will be defined here as benefits, for the most amount of people (society as a whole). In terms of jailbreaking, utilitarianism can be used to argue for, as well as against the ethicality of