"Preliminary results following Apples adoption of Activation Lockthe first kill switch
commercially available in the United Statesappear to validate the kill switch as an effective tool
to deter smartphone crime. The report releases new crime statistics indicating that in the first five
months of 2014, shortly after Apple introduced Activation Lock, the theft of Apple devices fell by 17
percent in New York City, while thefts of Samsung products increased by 51 percent compared to the
same time period in the previous year. Other cities experienced the same trend. In the six months after
Apple introduced Activation Lock, iPhone thefts fell 24 percent in London and robberies fell 38 percent
in San Francisco compared to the six months prior to Activation Lock. During the same period, thefts
of other popular mobile devices increased.
The work of the SOS coalition continues. With the majority of phones still without an active kill
switch, smartphone-related thefts and violence remain a tragic reality. Criminals have learned to target
devices without available kill switches, increasing the importance of immediately implementing kill
switches across manufacturers. And because kill switches are available on an opt-in basis, not enough
consumers are signing upunderscoring the urgency of the SOS call to make kill switches a standard,
opt-out function on all phones."
commercially available in the United Statesappear to validate the kill switch as an effective tool
to deter smartphone crime. The report releases new crime statistics indicating that in the first five
months of 2014, shortly after Apple introduced Activation Lock, the theft of Apple devices fell by 17
percent in New York City, while thefts of Samsung products increased by 51 percent compared to the
same time period in the previous year. Other cities experienced the same trend. In the six months after
Apple introduced Activation Lock, iPhone thefts fell 24 percent in London and robberies fell 38 percent
in San Francisco compared to the six months prior to Activation Lock. During the same period, thefts
of other popular mobile devices increased.
The work of the SOS coalition continues. With the majority of phones still without an active kill
switch, smartphone-related thefts and violence remain a tragic reality. Criminals have learned to target
devices without available kill switches, increasing the importance of immediately implementing kill
switches across manufacturers. And because kill switches are available on an opt-in basis, not enough
consumers are signing upunderscoring the urgency of the SOS call to make kill switches a standard,
opt-out function on all phones."
