A new law in California mandates that smartphones must be equipped with a “kill switch”–a way to remotely disable the phone if it is lost or stolen.
Lawmakers and service providers have pushed for standard kill switches on smartphones. The feature has been requested by consumers as well. The primary reason for such a feature is obviously to protect personal information, photos, etc. But William Duckworth, an associate professor of data science and analytics at Creighton University, points out that a kill switch is a money saver too. He published a report earlier this year titled “Anti-Theft Software in Mobile Phones Could Save Consumers $2.6B a Year” for which he polled 1,200 smartphone users. He determined that:
- 99 percent of smartphone owners feel wireless carriers should give all consumers the option to disable a cell phone if it is stolen.
- 83 percent of smartphone owners believe that a kill switch would reduce cell phone theft.
- 93 percent of smartphone owners believe that Americans should not be expected to pay extra fees for the ability to disable a stolen phone.
Duckworth concluded that “consumers not only support a free Kill Switch pre-installed on all phones, they expect it.” But how does that save money? He asserts that savings would mostly come from reduced insurance premiums resulting from reduced smartphone theft.
On Monday, August 25, California governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 962, referred to as the “kill switch bill,” making California the first state to require that anti-theft security features come enabled by default on every smartphone sold in the state. This legislation was proposed by San Francisco Democratic Senator Mark Leno earlier this year in response to an epidemic of smartphone thefts. Tech news site Re/code reports that the Federal Communications Commission estimates smartphone thefts account for 30 percent to 40 percent of thefts in major cities.
The state of Minnesota enacted similar legislation in May of this year. But that law doesn’t require phones to come equipped with the kill switch feature engaged as the default setting.
California’s new kill switch law only applies to smartphones, and not tablets or other devices. Those who sell devices after July 1, 2015 that are not in compliance with this mandate will face penalties of $500 to $2,500.
Photo: PeteBobb
