Difference between revisions of "FaceTime"

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'''FaceTime''' is a VoIP (Voice Over IP) video calling service from Apple, Inc. It was first developed for use with the iPhone 4's front-facing camera and later made compatible with all [[iOS]] devices with front-facing cameras, as well as Mac computers running OS X with Facetime or iSight cameras. In 2011, FaceTime introduced a front-facing and rear-facing camera on the iPad 2. Pioneered by Apple, FaceTime has revolutionized the concept of VoIP through its ease of use and compatibility.  Recently, FaceTime was in spotlight of ethical issues surrounding the lack of transparency from AT&T and its data charges. FaceTime also provides another platform where inappropriate "sexviding" and other pornographic material can be exchanged.
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'''FaceTime''' is a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) video calling service from Apple, Inc. It was first developed for use with the iPhone 4's front-facing camera and later made compatible with all [[iOS]] devices with front-facing cameras, as well as Mac computers running OS X with Facetime or iSight cameras. In 2011, FaceTime introduced a front-facing and rear-facing camera on the iPad 2. Pioneered by Apple, FaceTime has revolutionized the concept of VoIP through its ease of use and compatibility.  Recently, FaceTime was in spotlight of ethical issues surrounding the lack of transparency from AT&T and its data charges. FaceTime also provides another platform where inappropriate "sexviding" and other pornographic material can be exchanged.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==

Revision as of 20:51, 4 April 2018

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FaceTime
FacetimeLogo.png
FaceTime.jpg
"FaceTime on an iPhone 5" Site
Type Video Calling Service
Launch Date June 24, 2010
Status Active
Product Line Application
Platform iOS
Website www.apple.com/ios/facetime

FaceTime is a VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) video calling service from Apple, Inc. It was first developed for use with the iPhone 4's front-facing camera and later made compatible with all iOS devices with front-facing cameras, as well as Mac computers running OS X with Facetime or iSight cameras. In 2011, FaceTime introduced a front-facing and rear-facing camera on the iPad 2. Pioneered by Apple, FaceTime has revolutionized the concept of VoIP through its ease of use and compatibility. Recently, FaceTime was in spotlight of ethical issues surrounding the lack of transparency from AT&T and its data charges. FaceTime also provides another platform where inappropriate "sexviding" and other pornographic material can be exchanged.

History

FaceTime was first announced on June 24, 2010 and was restricted to use over WiFi only. Initially, Facetime was available only on the newly released iPhone 4. At the release conference, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs Steve Jobs mentioned that FaceTime would be an open video calling standard and would open up the standard for anybody to use. [1] As of March 2018, FaceTime is still a proprietary protocol. Many journalists posit that vendor lock-in gives Apple a business advantage and opening up the protocol would rid them of that advantage. [2]

Later in 2010, Apple announced availability of FaceTime beta for its Mac computers. [3] The application was free and available to all users of Mac OS X version 10.6.6 or later.

Facetime for Mac was officially released in February of 2011 and cost $0.99. [4] The FaceTime application is still $0.99 in the Mac App Store, although the app is now included with new purchases of Mac computers.

With the introduction of iOS 6, Apple announced that FaceTime calls would be available over cellular networks in addition to being available over WiFi. [5] Users can now make FaceTime calls on their iPhone's and 3G/4G-connected iPad's using their cellular network.

How It Works

FaceTime links to a user's phone number on their iPhone and an email address on all other supported devices. [6] Users can click the FaceTime icon in their iPhone contacts list to view individuals in their contacts who are registered with the service. Within the contacts list, there lies two different FaceTime functionalities. The first is a FaceTime audio call, which is a voice calling feature without video. The other is the FaceTime video. On other devices, users select a person to call from both their contacts or the FaceTime application itself.

In the duration of a FaceTime call, there is a button to end the call, switch cameras (front and back), and a mute button. When receiving a call, users are presented with a call screen for iOS and can pick up or decline the FaceTime call. The screen will say FaceTime and have a different ringtone to aware the user that they are receiving a different type of call.

Different Uses for FaceTime

FaceTime is a great tool to connect a few individuals through video chatting. People use FaceTime for all sorts of things beyond just calling their friends to catch up. For example, it is a great tool for companies to interview potential employees. In addition, many songwriters in the music industry will have co-writing sessions over FaceTime if they are not in the same city. The quality of FaceTimes video and audio is much better than their competition, which makes it a go to for songwriters. The quality provides the opportunity to actually write/play the song and stay in sync because of FaceTimes quality. Overall, FaceTime is a great tool for collaboration for anyone is working with others not in their area.

Supported Devices

  • iPhone 4 or later
  • iPad 2 or later
  • iPod touch (4th generation) or later
  • Mac with Mac OS X v10.6.6 or later[6]

Although FaceTime is not available to devices other than Apple, there are alternative video conference softwares to FaceTime that have similar effect and ethical implementations such as Skype, Oovoo, Google Video Chat, Facebook Video Chat, which can be used on Mac and non Mac devices.

Ethical Implications

AT&T and Network Charges

Before the introduction of iOS 6, it was rumored that AT&T would start charging users for FaceTime over their 3G data service network.[7] After the introduction of the new software, AT&T revealed that FaceTime would only be allowed on their 3G network for customers on Mobile Share plans. [8] This distinction was called into question by several "net neutrality" watchdog groups, who then petitioned the FCC. [9] The FCC responded to these complaints, saying they would review the objections. [10] On November 8th 2012, AT&T revealed that they would be expanding mobile network usage of FaceTime to users with LTE devices on tiered data plans, but other users would still need to be on Mobile Share plans. They also revealed that they would be rolling out FaceTime over cellular to customers on more data plans in the "near future" but did not specify further. [11]

Restricting this service puts the matter of ethics into question. If a service provider prioritizes the traffic of one application over the other, people will most likely not use the application that is restricted and find other means. In this case, Apple may lose customers who would have used FaceTime to other video chatting applications like Skype. Skype and several other services that provide the same video calling functionality of FaceTime, although not with the same integration into one's contacts, have been running on cellular networks before FaceTime was created. Unlike FaceTime, these services require users to download a separate application and have it running on the mobile device to receive calls.

Because of this hurdle to adoption, AT&T has used the argument that FaceTime in particular must be controlled differently in order to make sure their network does not get clogged with too much usage. Others, such as the net neutrality watchdog groups, argue that this is still against the laws of the FCC which try to promote competition and an open internet.

In contrast to AT&T's stance on FaceTime over cellular, its competition Verizon is not charging users extra or restricting FaceTime to certain plans. [12] Although users could switch if they want easier FaceTime over cellular, AT&T is still selling more iPhones than its competitors. [13]

Floridi states in "The Ethics of Information Transparency" (2007, pg 111) that there "may be a real need to disclose the ethical details of any process of information management." AT&T has not disclosed their specific reasons for choosing to restrict FaceTime, or at least have not proven their reasons to be legitimate to the press. Especially since their competitors have not enforced the same restrictions.


Inappropriate Use and "Sexviding"

With any video-chatting feature or technology, there will obviously be those who inappropriately use this feature in profane and pornographic ways. FaceTime currently does not have any content filters. Teens can use Facebook to send “sexvids”, in which a person sends a sexual FaceTime video call to someone else. Furthermore, the FaceTime communications are not secure, so anyone can pick up your FaceTime call, including video, without you knowing it. [14]

Similarly, with FaceTime being a portable video chat service, there is the possibility of potentially confidential conversations occurring in unfavorable places. This disrupts the confidentiality of a conversation that two people are having, when neither person are aware of who might be listening or watching in the background.

Banned Usage

FaceTime is not allowed in the United Arab Emirates due to their Telecom Regulatory Authority which restricts most person-to-person video contact. [15] iPhones that are sold in the UAE come with FaceTime locked and any IP address that is in the area does not allow for users to access FaceTime. This sometimes causes iPhones to be sold with FaceTime in the black market. Additionally, many people use a virtual private network to get past having an IP address from inside the UAE.

Protected Data

When users utilize FaceTime instead of other means of communication, they may be better off than not regarding how likely it is that their information from their calls be shared. Apple was one of the companies that contributed to the PRISM program that the United States government created which allowed them to gather personal data from citizens. Apple claims that it can not decrypt FaceTime messages, no matter what. They have received over 10,000 requests from local, state, and federal government agencies in a six month period ending May 31st, 2013. [16] FaceTime is one of the services, alongside iMessage that is "encrypted end to end", leaving no gaps for Government agencies to get the data associated with them. Therefore, making cellphone surveillance much more difficult. This could leave exposure to those who want to be careful about their activities on their mobile phones to utilize innate and unsuspecting applications instead of using suspicious third-party applications.

Live Photos

In the most recent update of FaceTime, there is a button for someone to press and take a live photo of you at any time. This photo then goes to their photo stream, and when they click on it, they can hear and see anything that happened in the three seconds the "live photo" was taken. This has the potential to spread information that someone does not want to be spread. There is a feature in your settings on your phone that can turn this off, but many people do not know about this option and tend to allow these photos to be taken. If you are on a business FaceTime, even though you do get a notification if the other person takes a live photo, there is nothing you can do about it being in their possession at the moment [17]. The freedom people have to broadcast personal information becomes an issue if there is not trust between the two users.

References

  1. FaceTime Open Standard http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/06/08/urnidgns852573c4006938800025773c006633b-idUS168083514520100608 Retrieved 2012-12-09
  2. Hey, Apple, any progress on making FaceTime an open industry standard? https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2016/8/8/hey-apple-any-progress-on-making-facetime-an-open-industry-standard
  3. FaceTime for Mac http://news.softpedia.com/news/FaceTime-Comes-to-the-Mac-Download-the-Free-Application-Today-162095.shtml Retrieved 2012-12-09
  4. FaceTime Out Of Beta https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2763433?start=0&tstart=0 Retrieved 2012-12-09
  5. FaceTime over 3G http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/11/3078597/ios-6-adds-facetime-video-calls-over-cellular-networks Retrieved 2012-12-09
  6. 6.0 6.1 Using FaceTime http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4319 Retrieved 2012-12-09
  7. AT&T may charge for FaceTime http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/17/3164208/at-t-may-charge-for-facetime-calls-over-3g/in/3024812 Retrieved on 2012-12-09.
  8. AT&T Allowing 3G FaceTime with Mobile Share http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/17/3250228/att-facetime-over-cellular-ios-6-mobile-share/in/3024812 Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  9. Groups Petition FCC http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/18/3351626/att-facetime-block-fcc-complaint-net-neutrality/in/3024812 Retrieved 2012-12-09.
  10. FCC Reviews Objections http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/25/3404938/fcc-julius-genachowski-att-facetime/in/3024812 Retrieved 2012-12-09
  11. AT&T loosens restrictions http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/8/3619034/at-t-loosens-facetime-restrictions-allows-iphone-5-users-to-video/in/3024812 Retrieved 2012-12-09
  12. Verizon Not Charging For FaceTime http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/12/3324002/verizon-facetime-over-cellular-no-additional-charge Retrieved 2012-10-09
  13. AT&T Sells More iPhones than Verizon http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/24/technology/mobile/att-iphone/index.html Retrieved 2012-10-09
  14. iPhone 4 problems: FaceTime privacy and “sexviding” are new issues http://blog.sfgate.com/abraham/2010/06/24/iphone-4-problems-facetime-privacy-and-sexviding-are-new-issues/
  15. Skirting forbidden FaceTime restrictions http://www.macworld.com/article/2042991/skirting-forbidden-facetime-restrictions.html Retrieved 25 April 2016
  16. Apple claims it can't decrypt FaceTime and iMessage data, details extent of government requests http://www.theverge.com/2013/6/17/4437272/apple-government-data-request-information-prism
  17. Disabling Live Photos https://ios.gadgethacks.com/how-to/facetime-101-take-disable-live-photos-during-video-call-0179042/