Hello again.
I have been hearing rumors about "Kill Switches" in smartphones for awhile.
For those of you that don't know or haven't heard of them, they are a LoJack type program that can render a stolen phone inoperable once activated. It can be activated one of two ways: either by calling your carrier or going to a website.
http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20131119&id=17126346&ocid=ansmony11
The following article is from June 2013. It tells how Law Enforcement agencies are pushing for kill switches. They state the following reasons for them:
The theft of mobile devices – smartphones and tablets – is now called “the fastest-growing street crime” in America. People across the country have been stabbed and mugged at gunpoint for their electronic devices, which are easy to resell. A stolen iPhone can fetch $300 or more on the black market.
The numbers are staggering:
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/law-enforcement-demands-smartphone-kill-switch-6C10315942
How do you feel about Kill Switches?
I have been hearing rumors about "Kill Switches" in smartphones for awhile.
For those of you that don't know or haven't heard of them, they are a LoJack type program that can render a stolen phone inoperable once activated. It can be activated one of two ways: either by calling your carrier or going to a website.
http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20131119&id=17126346&ocid=ansmony11
The following article is from June 2013. It tells how Law Enforcement agencies are pushing for kill switches. They state the following reasons for them:
The theft of mobile devices – smartphones and tablets – is now called “the fastest-growing street crime” in America. People across the country have been stabbed and mugged at gunpoint for their electronic devices, which are easy to resell. A stolen iPhone can fetch $300 or more on the black market.
The numbers are staggering:
- 1.6 million Americans had a handheld device stolen last year.
- One in every three robberies nationwide involves a stolen cell phone.
- Approximately half of all robberies in San Francisco involved a mobile communications device.
- In New York City, cell phone robberies increased 40 percent in the past year. In 2012, a 26-year old chef at the Museum of Modern Art was killed for his iPhone. Police there now use the term “apple-picking” to refer to the theft of iPhones and other mobile products, like iPads.
http://www.nbcnews.com/business/law-enforcement-demands-smartphone-kill-switch-6C10315942
How do you feel about Kill Switches?