[southerntofu]

I strongly disagree with your opinion. For economic reason, i'm using (and supporting many users from my neighborhood of) second-hand hardware. Some systems like Apple's make our life incredibly difficult and most times people will just have to pay a shady phone store to have the device they purchased unlocked, adding 20-30€ to the bill.

It's important to note that most people are incredibly gullible when it comes to technology, and they won't hesitate to buy a second-hand iPhone (whether stolen or not) for a few bucks assuming they'll be able to use it, because that's what a phone does, only to find themselves trapped in iCloud lock.

Locking devices does not protect users (contrary to encrypting the local storage), and does not deter anyone from stealing. It simply adds one layer of mafia to deal with (iCloud unlock shady companies) when you're just trying to find a second-hand phone.

[matthias509]

Your statement regarding the lack of deterrence does not match reality. See https://transition.fcc.gov/bureaus/oet/tac/tacdocs/meeting12...

"Similar to New York City, San Francisco also provides evidence that mobile device theft prevention technologies work. In 2009, Apple smartphones constituted the vast majority (69%) of smartphones stolen in San Francisco robberies; in the six months after Apple made Activation Lock available, iPhone robberies in San Francisco declined 38%."

[ska]

> and does not deter anyone from stealing.

This statement appears to be false, which I guess is the entire point.

People absolutely should be able to sell a device second hand, so perhaps re-authentication should be easier and more obvious, but making stolen equipment harder to sell is a net win.

[dsabanin]

You are not making any sense by saying it does not deter anyone from stealing. Sooner or later everyone will know that buying stolen Apple hardware is meaningless, and without a market to sell into, thiefs will be less interested in stealing it.