The Hidden Company Behind The National Stolen Cellphone Database

The nation’s largest wireless companies — Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, in that order — recently teamed up with the Federal Communications Commission to create a nationwide database of all cell phones reported stolen or lost, which is set to be up and running by the end of 2013. The program, which emulates others of its kind in Europe and Australia, is designed to combat the rapid increase in cell phone thefts. Theft and loss could account for up to $30 billion for consumers in the U.S. this year alone, according to mobile security firm Lookout. Yet the big four carriers aren’t the only ones who are responsible for the new database: Lookout, too, played a supporting role, providing guidance in developing the system, Lookout’s co-founder and chief technology officer Kevin Mahaffey said.

“We corresponded with key players in this to provide counsel on the stolen phone problem,” Mahaffey wrote. “Lookout both supports and applauds the efforts of the government and key players in mobile industry that are collaborating to deter the theft of cellphones and crime overall.” And yet, Lookout would seem to be doing well on capitalizing the absence of such a system, at least for the time being. Lookout now makes security software for Android phones and the iPhone, though the iPhone version is temporarily unavailable as it is undergoing an update. The free Lookout app is designed to be an all-in-one mobile security center, with the virus protection and scanning of other apps, geolocation trackers to find someone’s lost or stolen phone, and a remote backup program. The company counts 15 million users in over 170 countries, Mahaffey told TPM. However, the company thinks that the upcoming national stolen cell phone database won’t hamper its own business model.