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After launching an
investigation into the anti-theft practices of smartphone manufacturers like Apple, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón will today test how Apple's Activation Lock feature holds up against determined thieves, reports
CNET.
First introduced at WWDC,
Activation Lock is designed to prevent Find My iPhone from being deactivated, which keeps stolen iPhones from being wiped and reactivated. The feature is included in iOS 7, which is expected to be released to consumers this fall.
Gascón and Schneiderman are planning to bring in security experts from the
Northern California Regional Intelligence Center to attempt to bypass Activation Lock in order to gain access to an iPhone. The security team will also test the
Lojack for Android software on a Samsung Galaxy S4.The two officials have pushed for greater anti-theft measures from cell phone manufacturers after a
spike in mobile device thefts. While carriers agreed last year to develop a centralized
database to track stolen phones, it has proven to be
largely ineffectual. Both Gascón and Schneiderman have stated that they believe Activation Lock is an inadequate theft deterrent and Gascón has urged Apple to implement a "kill switch" that would permanently disable stolen iOS devices.
The results of the Activation Lock investigation are expected to be released later today.
Article Link:
Government Officials Bring in Security Experts to Test iOS 7's Activation Lock Feature