Carriers Reject Kill Switch for Stolen Smartphones Associated Press (11/20/13) Collins, Terry According to San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, the nations biggest wireless carriers have rejected a proposal made by Samsung Electronics for smartphone manufacturers to install a built-in anti-theft measure called a kill switch that would make lost or stolen devices inoperable. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless all said that Absolute LoJack anti-theft software should not be preloaded onto smartphones as a standard feature due to the potential for hackers to access the kill switch and disable someones phone, including devices belonging to entities like the departments of Defense and Homeland Security. However, Gascon said e-mails between a senior vice president at Samsung and a software developer suggest that carriers may be rejecting the proposed technological solution as a way to force customers to purchase insurance on their phones. Meanwhile, Apple has announced that an activation lock designed to prevent thieves from turning off the Find My iPhone application would be part of its iOS 7 software. Ojas Rege, the vice president of strategy at the technology security company Mobile Iron, called the activation lock the first kill switch that protects users from smartphone thieves and said other manufacturers should include similar technology in their products.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 22:50:11 +0000
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