Student filmmaker intentionally gets smartphone stolen to spy on thief

Rappler.com

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Student filmmaker intentionally gets smartphone stolen to spy on thief
Using a bugged phone, the filmmaker tracks a thief's life and produces a documentary out of it

MANILA, Philippines – What happens to a smartphone after it’s stolen? That was the question that a film student in Amsterdam had in mind when he produced a short documentary about a smartphone thief and their stolen goods. On the surface, it might not sound like the most avant-garde idea out there. But here’s what made it interesting: the student procured material for his documentary by spying on the thief using a bugged smartphone. 

The student, a certain Anthony van der Meer, intentionally had a phone of his stolen – one that he loaded with software called “Cerberus.”

As The Next Web reported, the software gave him access to the device location, its features, and its contents – all of which he could retrieve when he wanted. The software also allowed him to make use of the phone’s camera and microphone so he could spy on the thief. 

For 2 weeks, that’s exactly what der Meer did. He spied on the thief, tracking his moves, which resulted in the documentary posted above called Find My Phone – almost the namesake of the Apple app “Find My iPhone” used to find one’s phone or disable it after being stolen.

Prior to making the documentary, der Meer’s phone had been stolen, which inspired him to pull off the experimental film. The documentary has since received 2.5 million views since being uploaded on December 13. – Rappler.com

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