An apple for big brother.

Big Apple is watching you: iPhone 'anti-sexting' control will stop people sending rude words from their mobiles

By DANIEL BATES
Last updated at 2:16 PM on 13th October 2010

It is the kind of news that will be music to the ears of Tiger Woods. Or Ashley Cole, or Vernon Kay for that matter.

Apple has been awarded a patent to stop users from ‘Sexting’, or sending inappropriate message on their phones.

The ‘control application’ aims to ensure those who use it are not able to send anything that uses suggestive or potentially incriminating words.

Both Ashley Cole and Vernon Kay were caught out sending racy text messages to other women

Apple has not released the details of how it works, but only revealed that its 2008 application with the U.S. patent office has finally been approved.

The computing giant envisages it could be used by parents who want to monitor what their children are texting and prevent them using rude language.

But dozens of celebrities are also likely to jump on the technology to stop themselves from doing something they later regret.

Tiger Woods sent his many mistresses X-Rated text messages including one in which he told of his love for rough sex.

Ashley Cole’s marriage to wife Cherl collapsed when he sent hundreds of raunchy messages to a blonde secretary.

Vernon Kay was also put on probation by wife Tess Daly when it emerged he had ‘Sexted’ a topless model.

Apple outlines the problem in the patent which says there is currently ‘no way to monitor and control text communications to make them user appropriate.

‘For example, users such as children may send or receive messages (intentionally or not) with parentally objectionable language.’

It adds: ‘The parental control application evaluates whether or not the communication contains approved text based on, for example, objective ratings criteria or a user’s age or grade level, and, if unauthorised, prevents such text from being included in the text-based communication.

‘If the control contains unauthorised text, the control application may alert the user, the administrator or other designated individuals of the presence of such text.

‘The control application may require the user to replace the unauthorized text or may automatically delete the text or the entire communication.’

Previously, iPhone apps have made it impossible for users to text whilst driving and banned them from dialling certain numbers at certain times.

The plan behind Don’t Dial! and The Bad Decision Blocker is that by blocking certain people you will not get yourself into an embarrassing situation the following day.

Experts were not entirely convinced that the Sexting technology would work.

‘Those interested in ‘sexting’ will probably find some clever workaround,’ said technology website TechCrunch, adding that those who want to be suggestive with find ‘myriad other words’ that ‘don’t immediately set off the censorship senors’.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1320152/Apple-awarded-patent-stop-people-sexting-rude-words-mobile-phones.html#ixzz12Fd9Y3RV