Every year, 1.6 million phones are stolen, and most of those phones are smartphones. In a smartphone is a lot of personal information. Everything from banking apps to emails to home security systems to car starting apps, the smartphone is the hub of the average user’s universe and to lose that hub is bad enough. To lose that hub to someone with no scruples is borderline unthinkable. That’s why customers, and governments, are looking for a way to kill that information theft before it can happen. California has passed a law saying all smartphones sold in the state must have a “kill switch” that bricks the phone in the event of theft or loss.
California governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 962 into law on Monday, which mandates a “kill switch” but gives companies the freedom to decide how best to lock down phones based on their software and hardware options. Minnesota was the first state to pass the “kill switch” law, and companies are totally on board with the concept. Google, Microsoft, and Apple all have or will be adding “kill switch” options on their phones, though customers typically have to set up that themselves. Under California’s new law, the “kill switch” will be set up upon activation of the phone, forcing customers to opt in or out.
Leave a Reply