Engineering:Smartphone kill switch
A smartphone kill switch is a software-based[1] security feature that allows a smartphone's owner to remotely render it inoperable if it is lost or stolen, thereby deterring theft. Since 2015, this feature has been legally required in California for smartphones.[2] A number of initiatives have been created around this aim, for example Secure Our Smartphones (S.O.S.), a New York State and San Francisco initiative started by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón.[3][4] The initiative is co-chaired by Schneiderman, Gascón and Boris Johnson, and has 105 members.[5][6]
Background and implementation
Smartphones are expensive devices with high resale value, and are therefore often the target of theft, with thieves selling them to cartels for resale.[2] One attempt to address this is a "kill switch" which would deter theft. In the United States, Minnesota was the first state to pass a bill requiring smartphones to have such a feature,[2] and California was the first to require that the feature be turned on by default.[2] The California law requires the kill switch to be resistant to reinstallation of the phone's operating system.[1] The CTIA initially resisted the legislation, fearing that it would make phones easier to hack, but later supported kill switches.[7] There is evidence that this legislation has been effective, with smartphone theft declining by 50% between 2013 and 2017 in San Francisco.[8]
Examples
- All Android phones signed into a Google account can be remotely locked and erased via Google's Find My Device service, as long as they are connected to the internet.
- iPhones have a similar service.
- Encryption of personal data on smartphone
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "10 things to know about the smartphone kill switch" (in en). 24 June 2014. https://www.pcworld.com/article/2367480/10-things-to-know-about-the-smartphone-kill-switch.html.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Nieva, Richard (1 July 2015). "Smartphone 'kill switch' law takes effect in California" (in en). https://www.cnet.com/news/smartphone-kill-switch-law-takes-effect-in-california/.
- ↑ "Smartphone Kill Switch: What It Is, How It Might Work" (in en). 14 May 2014. https://www.tomsguide.com/us/smartphone-kill-switch-faq,news-18772.html.
- ↑ "SECURE OUR SMARTPHONES" (in en). https://sfdistrictattorney.org/%E2%80%9Csecure-our-smartphones%E2%80%9D-initiative-issues-safety-tips-holiday-shoppers.
- ↑ "Secure Our Smartphones Initiative Members | New York State Attorney General". https://ag.ny.gov/sos/initiative-members.
- ↑ "Citizens Crime Commission of New York City | Cybercrime". http://www.nycrimecommission.org/cybercrime-secure-our-smartphones.php.
- ↑ "Kill switch proposals finally force wireless industry's hand" (in en). 2014-04-17. https://www.pcworld.com/article/2144762/kill-switch-proposals-finally-force-wireless-industrys-hand.html.
- ↑ Claburn, Thomas (28 Jul 2017). "Cellphone kill switches kill cellphone snatchers" (in en). https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/28/kill_switches_dispatch_phone_thieves/.
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