Apple's "kill switch" has decreased the number of stolen iPhones, reports http://www.law.virginia.ed...

1. Smartphone kill switch now required in California
Apple's "kill switch" has decreased the number of stolen iPhones, reports
http://www.law.virginia.edu/ say. Steve Parsons/PA Wire
California is the latest -- and biggest -- state to require that new smartphones have "kill switch" anti-
theft technology. Governor Jerry Brown signed the kill switch bill into law on Monday, CBS San
Francisco reports.
The law will require smartphone manufacturers to include technology to render the phone
inoperable if it is stolen.
"Getting mugged or robbed just because you have your cell phone in your hand is soon to be a thing
of the past," the co-author of the bill, state assembly member Nancy
http://bml.ym.edu.tw/tfeid/userinfo.php?uid=40913 Skinner, said in a press release. She called it "a
victory for consumer safety."
Minnesota became the first state to pass a smartphone kill switch law in May of this year.
The California bill does not specify exactly how smartphone makers meet the requirements, only that
they must keep up with the evolving technology and produce a way to render stolen phones
inoperable. The law applies to smartphones only, not tablets or other mobile devices.
Several major manufacturers have already
begun implementing the technology. Last
year Apple introduced its "activation lock"
feature on iPhones running iOS 7, which
prevents anyone from erasing, activating, or
otherwise using your phone without knowing
your Apple ID and password. Samsung
smartphones have similar protections built
in.
Nearly 50 percent of property crimes in
major cities like San Francisco, New York
and Washington, D.C. involve the theft of
mobile devices. According to a report by New
York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman,
thieves stole 3.1 million mobile devices in the
U.S. last year.
But the kill switch can make a big difference. Schneiderman's report cites police data showing that
since Apple introduced its anti-theft technology in September 2013, the number of iPhones stolen in
San Francisco, New York City and London dropped by up to a third.

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