Can You Kill Your Smart Phone? You Might Want to Learn How! You can benefit from existing technology to protect your personal information if your smart phone or tablet computer is lost or stolen. The technology is known as a kill switch. A kill switch is a free application that allows the owner of a smart phone or tablet to locate a lost device on a map, lock it and even erase all of its contents in order to prevent private information from falling into the wrong hands. More than three million smart phones were stolen last year, accounting for almost half of all thefts in major cities. In some cases, victims were attacked by thieves trying to make the victims let go of their devices. However, in the face of legislation, manufacturers will be obliged to make the software a standard security feature as of next summer. After one manufacturer introduced a smart phone app, San Francisco police report theft of that brand of phone dropped 38 percent. By passing mandatory kill switch implementation, legislators are trying to make smart devices less appealing to thieves, the same way as thefts declined when vehicle security systems were improved. Stolen smart phones fetch several hundred dollars when resold, but the quality and quantity of data stored on them can be just as valuable. Many consumers fail to realize that a smart phone is in fact a portable computer that has the ability to make phone calls. Most owners fail to password-protect their smart phones or tablets, or take advantage of kill switch technology. Look for kill switch apps available through your manufacturers website. A little preparation can protect your information and make finding your missing smart phone or tablet possible. This is especially important as we head into the busiest and most distracting shopping season of the year and spend a great deal of time on our smart devices in public areas.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 13:47:51 +0000
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