Carriers Reject a ‘Kill Switch’ For Preventing Cellphone Theft

Author: 
Coverage Type: 

Lawmakers in San Francisco and New York are pushing cellphone makers to adopt a so-called kill switch that would allow users to deactivate their phone remotely, discouraging criminals from stealing phones. But the cellphone carriers are not on board.

San Francisco’s district attorney, George Gascón, said he had been working on an agreement with Samsung Electronics to include antitheft software with all its phones sold in the United States. Preloading the software on Samsung’s phones would require approval from the carriers that service the phones. The carriers, including AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint, rejected the idea, he said. Apparently, the carriers are concerned that the software would eat into the profit they make from the insurance programs many consumers buy to cover lost or stolen phones. CTIA , the industry trade group that represents the carriers, said that a kill switch would pose risks, because hackers who took control of the feature could disable phones for customers.


Carriers Reject a ‘Kill Switch’ For Preventing Cellphone Theft