California Rejects 'Kill Switch' Requirement Legislation for Smartphones

[snprintf]

I don't care about this to even judge whether or not it's a good idea, but I expected California to do this. It is the same state where parking lots must have warnings on them saying that exhaust is bad for you. They're authoritarians when it comes to everything but drugs.

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Honest question: What does the manufacturer have to do with it? Can't Google just built it in to Android?

I think that it requires more than software to do this, like firmware and hardware. Otherwise, you could boot the phone into some recovery mode (DFU on iPhones) and wipe it.

 

[gnasher729]

Honest question: What does the manufacturer have to do with it? Can't Google just built it in to Android?

Not really. A thief could replace the operating system (Android or iOS), so there must be something at a level below the operating system. Like the best and safest locks on the door in your home would be useless if a thief can replace the locks.

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I don't understand all of this resistance. Phone theft is real and the more tools against it the better. Global IMEI blacklist + phone locking are welcomed tools that should be implemented.

That's because the "kill switch" that governments want is not what the customer wants. As a customer, I want to be able to destroy the data on my phone, make it unusable so a thief can't profit from it, and restore it if it is returned to me (or fell behind the sofa with the battery empty and I didn't find it for ages).

The government wants to be able to turn off the phone when _they_ want. Or because they don't understand how things work, they want a "kill" switch that destroys the phone, so even when you get it back, it's destroyed and cannot be restored.

 

[TopB]

Another example of the government trying to pass a law for something that should not be in their control.