Killer Switches are Decreasing Smartphone Theft
It has been reported that the amount of stolen smartphones has decreased drastically ever since manufacturers in three major cities began implementing “kill switches”. These switches allow smartphones to be turned off remotely if they are stolen.
The three major cities are San Francisco, New York and London. In San Francisco, the number of stolen iPhones dropped by 40 percent. New York saw smartphone theft decrease by 25 percent. Across the pond in London there was a 50 percent decrease in smartphone stealing.
“We have made real progress in tackling the smartphone theft epidemic that was affecting many major cities just two years ago,” said London Mayor Boris Johnson.
Although the kill switches have shown to be effective, no states have actually passed a law requiring manufacturers to include these switches into phones.
“The wireless industry continues to roll out sophisticated new features, but preventing their own customers from being the target of a violent crime is the coolest technology they can bring to market,” George Gascon, the San Francisco District Attorney, said.
California is the closest to implementing a law against smartphone theft. Although there is a law, it has yet to go into effect. Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors hope it will reduce the amount about stolen smartphones.
The National Consumers League reported that 1.6 million devices were stolen from Americans in 2012. In San Francisco, Oakland, and other cities, smartphone theft makes up more than half of all crimes committed. Of the remaining U.S. states, Minnesota passed a theft-prevention law last year in hopes to combat the amount of stolen phones each year.
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