Android and Windows to get 'kill switch'

[Mulreay]

Google and Microsoft will add a "kill-switch" feature to their Android and Windows phone operating systems.

The feature is a method of making a handset completely useless if it is stolen, rendering a theft pointless.

Authorities have been urging tech firms to take steps to help curb phone theft and argued that a kill-switch feature can help resolve the problem.

Apple and Samsung, two of the biggest phone makers, offer a similar feature on some of their devices.

The move by Google and Microsoft means that kill switches will now be a part of the three most popular phone operating systems in the world.
Growing problem
Continue reading the main story   
“Start Quote

    An activated kill switch converts an easy-to-sell, high-value multimedia device into a jumble of plastic and glass”

New York State Attorney General

Smartphone theft has become a big problem across the world. According to a report by US authorities:

    Some 3.1 million mobile devices were stolen in the US in 2013, nearly double the number of devices stolen in 2012
    One in three Europeans experienced the theft or loss of a mobile device in 2013
    In South Korea mobile device theft increased five-fold between 2009 and 2012
    In Colombia criminals stole over one million devices in 2013

In an attempt to tackle the issue, policymakers have launched an initiative called Secure our Smartphones.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27935972

[Geek-9pm]

Thanks Murray,
Similar story just published by TIME magazine.
Kill Switch Kills iPhone Thefts
Story also on other media.
So either it is a big story or it is a slow news day.

[Mulreay]

Thanks Murray,

Really? 

[BC_Programmer]

Really? 

pay no mind to gook-9pom-pom.

[patio]

Phones should have been mentioned in the title...

[Geek-9pm]

Earlier Apple had put the "kill switch" on the iPhone and police in some major cities reported iPhone theft went down. Just now Google and Microsoft said they would  to it on phones  with either Android or Windows OS.
After a phone s stolen the real owner can call a service hot line and report the device stolen. It gets killed. No more service.
This does NOT apply to Apple and Windows based desktops and laptops. It is for iPhones bad smartphones.
It may seem similar  to the Windows 8 safe boot, but it is not the same thing.  Nor is itg like the security features of a chrome book. The "kill switch" is just for mobile phones made by major companies. And it will be awhile before it is fully implemented.
thanks to Mulreay
I was using the spell checker. It don't know Murlay.

[negkbm]

This is interesting, what if you get the phone back somehow will there be a way to reverse the kill ? or will it be killed like real life killed

Google and Microsoft will add a "kill-switch" feature to their Android and Windows phone operating systems.

The feature is a method of making a handset completely useless if it is stolen, rendering a theft pointless.

Authorities have been urging tech firms to take steps to help curb phone theft and argued that a kill-switch feature can help resolve the problem.

Apple and Samsung, two of the biggest phone makers, offer a similar feature on some of their devices.

The move by Google and Microsoft means that kill switches will now be a part of the three most popular phone operating systems in the world.
Growing problem
Continue reading the main story   
“Start Quote

    An activated kill switch converts an easy-to-sell, high-value multimedia device into a jumble of plastic and glass”

New York State Attorney General

Smartphone theft has become a big problem across the world. According to a report by US authorities:

    Some 3.1 million mobile devices were stolen in the US in 2013, nearly double the number of devices stolen in 2012
    One in three Europeans experienced the theft or loss of a mobile device in 2013
    In South Korea mobile device theft increased five-fold between 2009 and 2012
    In Colombia criminals stole over one million devices in 2013

In an attempt to tackle the issue, policymakers have launched an initiative called Secure our Smartphones.

Full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27935972

[camerongray]

This is interesting, what if you get the phone back somehow will there be a way to reverse the kill ? or will it be killed like real life killed

At least with iOS (I presume Android will be similar), this "kill switch" will not completely kill the phone in the traditional sense, it will completely lock down the software so that the phone cannot be used unless the original user logs in with their iCloud account - Therefore if you did find the device again you could still unlock it.  I don't know how this would work if someone was really determined enough but I imagine they will also have thought to block people doing stuff like reflashing firmware.etc.

[Geek-9pm]

At least with iOS (I presume Android will be similar), this "kill switch" will not completely kill the phone in the traditional sense, it will completely lock down the software so that the phone cannot be used...

It will be awhile before this is implemented on Android. Meanwhile, me would think the purpose is to make it hard for criminals to profit from cell phone theft. If  so, the possibility of recovering the phone appears to be not  likely. Otherwise, making it too easy to re-activate the phone would let a theft make a small profit by doing an unlock and selling the phone on the black market.

This was published snout a month ago:
How to Unlock Your iPhone for Free

The Apple iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones on the market, thanks to its sleek design and extensible operating system. As of 2010, the iPhone was available only to AT&T customers, leaving users of other carriers out of the picture. It is possible to unlock the iPhone for usage with other carriers...

I have never tried that.

[camerongray]

This was published snout a month ago:
How to Unlock Your iPhone for FreeI have never tried that.

That is not referring to reactivating a disabled (via the 'kill switch') phone - That article describes how to unlock an iPhone so that it can operate on a different mobile network from the one it was originally sold on.

The 'kill switch' on iOS is called the "Activation Lock" and was introduced in iOS 7 - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5818

[Geek-9pm]

camerongray, thanks for the link.
So then, the Apple "kill switch", which is part of iOS 7, has safeguards to prevent anyone else from turning the device back on.  Only the owner and do that.

When the Android version shows up we will see it it is as good or better that Apple.

[miloske]

How effective can this really be? If you can wipe the phone and install new firmware it should work again, right? I believe that we will soon see this done.

Another issue is that a typical phone thief from my country can't even spell properly, even though Serbian is a phonetic language. They won't be able to learn that some phones have this feature for a long time.

[Geek-9pm]

How effective can this really be? If you can wipe the phone and install new firmware it should work again, right? I believe that we will soon see this done.

I think so too. To really makes small  electronic gadgets less prone to theft, they are going to have to make a way that prevents people from  replacing firmware.

Maybe  something like a auricular implant. Part of the phone to be inside the head of the owner. 

[patio]

Regardless of what they do...theft will still occur.

[Geek-9pm]

Regardless of what they do...theft will still occur.

Best anti-theft is to never let you iPhone or Smartphone out of sight.

[BC_Programmer]

Best anti-theft is to never let you iPhone or Smartphone out of sight.

Well I've never had a smartphone stolen from me. The key to success in my case is to not own one.

Pass on the word. We'll beat these thieves!

[miloske]

Maybe  something like a auricular implant. Part of the phone to be inside the head of the owner. 

Very bad idea - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4396831.stm

[Geek-9pm]

From the above link:

The attackers forced Mr Kumaran to put his finger on the security panel to start the vehicle, bundled him into the back seat and drove off.

But having stripped the car, the thieves became frustrated when they wanted to restart it. They found they again could not bypass the immobiliser, which needs the owner's fingerprint to disarm it.

They stripped Mr Kumaran naked and left him by the side of the road - but not before cutting off the end of his index finger with a machete.

In  that case a kill switch ......