California to Require Smartphone Kill Switches

[Hum]

California could become the first state in the company that would require software in all cell phones that would shut them down if they're stolen.

This morning, state low make lawmakers are cracking down. Trying to stop thieves on subways, buses and the city street. It has a name, apple picking.

I define it as a crime of convenience. It's not just iPhones. A new study reveals smartphones of all kinds have been robbed from one in ten owners.

Now, a new killswitch bill is closer to becoming law in California. Approved Thursday by the state senate, it would be the first state in the nation trying to protect people by forcing smartphone makers to preload a so-called killswitch, a way to lock down a phone if it's stolen. Tech companies initially bristled at the idea of what being told to do.

But Apple and Microsoft eased their opposition. Once you tell them they have to do it, they think it's not such a great idea because of pressure, I believe, from the carrier partners, who want to sell you replacement phones to the tune of billions of dollars a year.

source & video

[Thief000]

State in the company...country.

It could be a great thing, but what happens when this gets abused?

[FloatingFatMan]

Don't they use IMEI's in California?  Over here, if someone nicks your phone, you just tell the phone company and they block your IMEA, rendering the phone useless throughout Europe.

[+Eternal Tempest MVC]

The cell companies in the US have kinda implemented a report you phone stolen, block activation on other networks where they share this information now.

This shifted to where they now send them oversee's to countries that don't follow US cellar "blocks" after being it reported stolen.

 

Android and Apple have ways (for software repair) of booting the phone in a mode that use of a computer can re-program them even if it's "locked" and can't access the content of the phone once it's booted up.

[Hum]

I'd have the phone explode, if it was stolen. :p