A smartphone kill switch is in the works, aimed to be a crafty switch with the hope of deterring thieves as the epidemic of mobile device theft continues here in the U.S. The idea of this new feature would be used as part of a burgeoning campaign to help phone companies provide more protection for their many customers, Web Pro News shares this Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013.
The smartphone kill switch idea comes at a time when over 1.5 million mobile devices being stolen in 2012 alone is trending among the public. In San Francisco alone, it has been said that smartphone theft is at an all-time high, including up to 50% of all citywide robberies. The idea of the kill switch is a hopeful way to help deter this pilfering.
“This is an area where a technological solution can render these phones basically worthless on the secondary market.”
Called the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative, this new campaign surrounding the smartphone kill switch intends to help phone companies shield their users from losing data if their phones are stolen, as well as help prevent the thefts in the first place.
However, not all people are in support of this kill switch idea. In fact, some antipathy toward the project is coming from the phone carriers themselves in the U.S., including AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, and US Cellular. They are against the kill switch, and the reasoning is because it might limit the very purchasing of cell phones.
“We’re talking about a $60-billion-a-year industry, and about a half of that seems to be attached to the replacement of phones that are being stolen,” he said, referring to the anti-theft insurance and replacement phones that are sold by the phone companies. “So we’re talking about a lot of money here.”
But already some alternative ideas to this smartphone kill switch are possibly in the works, and they sound interesting enough. Any way to help deter thieves from snatching our mobile devices to help save these smartphones like the Droid and the iPhone seem reason enough.
“CTIA and its member companies worked hard over the last year to help law enforcement with its stolen phone problem,” noted sources from the Wireless Assocation. “One of the components of the efforts was to create an integrated database designed to prevent stolen phones from being reactivated.”
Would you like this crafty switch on your smartphone? Do you think it will be successful in help deterring potential burglaries across the country?