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Federal Bill Would Mandate Anti-Theft 'Kill Switch' in All Smartphones
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Making an activity illegal isn't an effective deterrent, and I wish more people would realize this. Theft is naturally illegal, but if a criminal can effectively slip away into the night with a $500 phone and never be caught, what is prevented? They are banking on not being caught. There's low risk and HUGE reward right now if a user cannot kill their phone.
A killswitch at least gives the phone's owner a chance to wipe their data. And the residual effect is that criminals now have less reason to attempt a theft -- they'll be stealing a device that will soon be bricked. Would you risk being caught and incarcerated over a hunk of plastic and metal, versus a fully-functioning smartphone you could A) use yourself or B) sell off? I think the answer there is pretty clear.
A killswitch at least gives the phone's owner a chance to wipe their data. And the residual effect is that criminals now have less reason to attempt a theft -- they'll be stealing a device that will soon be bricked. Would you risk being caught and incarcerated over a hunk of plastic and metal, versus a fully-functioning smartphone you could A) use yourself or B) sell off? I think the answer there is pretty clear.
this is stupid, nobody cares if you have a kill switch in the piece of crap smartphone you get at walmart for $40. This will probably make the low end smart phones more expensive.
Stolen phone registry is useless. Only a kill switch can prevent someone from using phone to steal personal information. Mobile devices are increasingly tied into people's lives. There needs to be some kind of strong security to protect that information.
Of course it satisfies the list, that's where these big government Washington hacks got the list from. My heroes.
We don't need a law to mandate this. Google and Microsoft just need to follow Apple's lead and bake something into their OS and all will be fine. I know BlackBerry already has something similar but I'm not sure if it works outside of a BBES environment.
If the government gets involved, they'll want to mandate (and have access to) all kinds of "kill switches" on anything that could get stolen. The police won't have to be involved in high speed car chases anymore -- they'll just press a button and immobilize the car. While there would be some obvious benefit to that in terms of public safety, it also has enormous opportunities for abuse.
If the government gets involved, they'll want to mandate (and have access to) all kinds of "kill switches" on anything that could get stolen. The police won't have to be involved in high speed car chases anymore -- they'll just press a button and immobilize the car. While there would be some obvious benefit to that in terms of public safety, it also has enormous opportunities for abuse.
If it lessens the chance of my expensive phone being stolen, or me being killed for it, it is fine with me. I would think most parents like the idea that their kids might not be killed over their phone, or simply have it stolen.
i do accept the right wing idea of having it explode, not just shut down.
Of course the police should be able to shut down cars and avoid dangerous high speed chases. I don't want them to explode however, as it might be my car...
i do accept the right wing idea of having it explode, not just shut down.
Of course the police should be able to shut down cars and avoid dangerous high speed chases. I don't want them to explode however, as it might be my car...
Take it off and keep it off. If a government wanted to suppress protest communication they have easier ways other than using this than a kill switch. Too much effort when they have easier options considering the government already pretty much controls communications in general and shut down cellular services, TV and Radio.
I'm ALL for this. It won't completely eliminate theft, but I think it'll go a long ways towards discouraging it. Already, I've heard of friends of friends who found (or "found", who knows) iPhones with iOS 7 and couldn't do anything with them whatsoever.
I'll take a pass....I love the federal government for a great deal of things, but I don't want a "kill switch" on my phone that the "Feds" control.
Phone theft is a serious issue, no doubt, but a federal government controlled solution seems like overkill for a solution.
Given all that we have learned about the NSA this year, I'm not inclined to trust the federal government with tech based solutions right now.
It will be a while before I trust the 'Feds" with my tech access again....
Phone theft is a serious issue, no doubt, but a federal government controlled solution seems like overkill for a solution.
Given all that we have learned about the NSA this year, I'm not inclined to trust the federal government with tech based solutions right now.
It will be a while before I trust the 'Feds" with my tech access again....
Who said anything about them controlling it? All they are doing is mandating that its there and sets the minimum requirements. There is no word anywhere that the government can force a phone to be bricked. Just that its possible to do so. It would still be 100% consumer controlled if they wish to use it.
Read the article. The kill switch is a mandate requiring phone manufacturers to put them in for consumer use, not a request for a big red button the president can hover his finger over.
edit: Yeah. What pdjudd said.
I don't know why Apple didn't just do this from the start.
If you knew that the owner of the phone was just going to kill it and ping the beacon and track its location, you'd have no way to sell stolen phones without parting them out. ...not a lot of "opportunist" thieves is going to want to do that much work. & risk component serial numbers possibly biting them in the butt.
If these MFGs would just do this, the government wouldn't have to pass a new law demanding it.
Gov legislating new laws sucks. In an ideal world, they wouldn't have to.
If you knew that the owner of the phone was just going to kill it and ping the beacon and track its location, you'd have no way to sell stolen phones without parting them out. ...not a lot of "opportunist" thieves is going to want to do that much work. & risk component serial numbers possibly biting them in the butt.
If these MFGs would just do this, the government wouldn't have to pass a new law demanding it.
Gov legislating new laws sucks. In an ideal world, they wouldn't have to.
Much like a lock on your car door isn't necessarily going to keep a person from breaking into it, requiring a kill code on smartphones won't necessarily keep a the if from stealing it. Does that mean it is bit wise to continue to produce locks on car doors? After all, glass is easily broken.
We have already seen the effects of ios7 as "bricked locked" phones are selling for a fraction of a standard phone.
Of course theives don't all know about this. But once a law comes into place, after a while, even word on the street gets these people "educated". Same thing happened with etching numbers into all kinds of car parts in the 80s. Eventually theft dwindled to almost nothing.
Your crack habit example brings me back to the whole lock on your car story. My friend once had a box of granola bars and a coat on his back seat. Also some CDs (burned mind you) on his visor. Someone broke in overnight (safe city too, Hollister Ca) and took the granola bars and cd, left the coat, but obviously tried it on first. So yeah. It still happens. But that's not really the point here b
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Nothing in this proposition states or even implies that the Feds will be the ones controlling this kill switch. But anyway they already have control over shutting down your wireless communication, tending your device almost worthless.
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It's less a preventative measure against direct phone theft, and more of a way to assure that, were it to happen, at least the thief won't get your contacts lists, pictures, text messages, emails, and stored credit card numbers along with the phone itself.
Oh great, more "for your own good" Trojan Horse legislation mandated by the U.S. Government. You know, those guys that you can trust....
This has population communication control written all over it. If the rabble is rousing and marching on the castle, the NSA can simply push a button and the rabble cannot communicate, call in reinforcements, etc.
And please don't start with the tin foil hat comments...we "conspiracy nuts" are turning out to have been right all along about the intentions of our friendly government.
This has population communication control written all over it. If the rabble is rousing and marching on the castle, the NSA can simply push a button and the rabble cannot communicate, call in reinforcements, etc.
And please don't start with the tin foil hat comments...we "conspiracy nuts" are turning out to have been right all along about the intentions of our friendly government.
In general you create a law because not everyone is implementing it already. Case in point, google and Mixrosoft aren't doing this and there is no real indication that they plan to (not to say try won't).
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Much as people like to rip on federal law, it's sort of out in the open for people to read if they care to. If it ever comes to the point that they demand access to a kill switch we will hear about it. And if we don't, because they are doing it under the guise of the patriot act (or some such), what's different about having apple, google, and Mixrosoft implement it in their own? If it exists and they secretly have access to it it matters not whether it exists under law requirement or under free market principles.
Yeah, but like a bunch of people have already said previously, why do they need the hardware manufacturers to build in a kill switch when all they (THEYYYYY) have to do is call up your telco and tell them to nix your service, or kill off the cell towers around your area. If they want to shut you down, they already have 10,000 ways to do it available to them.
Kinda redundant, don't you think?
The should have a kill switch to activate the GPS and notify the local police of the coordinates, and send them to the location to arrest the criminal. Just my idea. Makes more sense.
It would probably not be long until someone discovered a bug that would let them activate the phone kill switch.
Congress also should supply the phone manufacturers with the money necessary to implement the changes if Congress requires the changes.
Let 'em. Chances are good the bug will be something that requires them to have their hands on your phone. And if they have their hands on your phone, you don't want them getting access to your private information, do you?
Why? It's the OS designers responsibility to make sure their user's info is as safe and secure as possible from prying eyes. Always has been. Always will be.