TMCnet News

Google, Microsoft plan remote 'kill' switch on phones - PHONES TO ADD KILL SWITCHES [Daily Tribune (Bahrain)]
[June 21, 2014]

Google, Microsoft plan remote 'kill' switch on phones - PHONES TO ADD KILL SWITCHES [Daily Tribune (Bahrain)]


(Daily Tribune (Bahrain) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Google and Microsoft plan to join Apple in offering theft-deterring "kill switches" in their smartphone operating systems, as part of an agreement with mayors and police agencies.



The announcement came in a report Thursday by the "Secure Our Smartphones Initiative" led by the New York state attorney general with officials from San Francisco and London.

The coalition of more than 100 elected leaders and law enforcement officials from major cities said the agreement means the three main smartphone platforms would soon add the feature as part of an effort to curb an epidemic of thefts.


The report said Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone would add the feature — enabling a user to deactivate a stolen handset — after Apple included this last year.

Google confirmed the news Friday without providing a date for the new feature.

In just one year, the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative has made tremendous strides towards curtailing the alarming trend of violent smartphone theft. The report noted that preliminary data following Apple's adoption of its "activation lock" feature found that in the first five months of 2014, theft of Apple devices fell by 17 percent in New York, while thefts of Samsung products increased by 51 percent. (AFP) copyright (c) 2014 Daily Tribune. All Rights Reserved Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]