Wireless Carriers, Smartphone Makers Introduce Anti
By Rebeka Silva r.silva@hngn.com | Apr 15, 2014 11:48 PM EDT
Major U.S. wireless carriers and smartphone makers have agreed to introduce tools to enable users to lock their devices and wipe them clean of data if stolen, responding to pressure on the telecommunications industry to do more to stop theft, according to Reuters.
Owners' options will include remotely removing a smartphone's data and preventing reactivation if a phone is stolen or lost, the association said, Reuters reported.
It appears the wireless industry has somewhat reversed course as law enforcement and elected officials in the U.S. demand that manufacturers implement a 'kill switch' to combat surging smartphone theft across the country, according to Reuters.
Industry officials have previously said putting a permanent kill switch on phones has serious risks, including the potential that hackers could activate it, Reuters reported.
'We appreciate the commitment made by these companies to protect wireless users in the event their smartphones are lost or stolen,' CTIA CEO Steve Largent said in a written statement, according to Reuters. 'This flexibility provides consumers with access to the best features and apps that fit their unique needs while protecting their smartphones and the valuable information they contain. At the same time, it's important different technologies are available so that a 'trap door' isn't created that could be exploited by hackers and criminals.'
Almost one in three robberies in the U.S. involve phone theft, according to the Federal Communications Commission, Reuters reported. Lost and stolen mobile devices cost consumers more than $30 billion in 2012, the agency said in a study.
California legislators introduced a bill earlier this month which would require mobile devices sold in or shipped to the state be equipped with the anti-theft devices starting next year if passed, according to Reuters. It would be the first of its kind in the United States.
Similar legislation is being considered in New York, Illinois and Minnesota, and bills have been introduced in both houses of Congress, Reuters reported.
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who have given the manufacturers a June deadline to find solutions to curb smartphone theft, said in a joint statement Tuesday that while CTIA's plan is 'a welcomed step,' it still falls short of effectively ending smartphone theft because the measures will rely on consumers to seek out and turn on the technology, according to Reuters.
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