First Take: Kill switch requires standardization

[Commentary] Google and Microsoft's decision to join Apple on the "kill switch" front throws considerable heft behind the movement to deter smartphone thefts. But it's just a start.

For the technology to truly take hold and repel criminals, the anti-theft software should be part of the default operating system so the user doesn't have to choose to activate it. By 2015, new versions of operating systems used by 97% of smartphones in the USA will have a kill switch, which lets an owner remotely deactivate a stolen smartphone. But many of them will require the user to activate, or "opt-in," the technology.

Apple's kill switch puts the onus on individuals, as does technology from Google and Microsoft. That's not good enough. Standardization is the most sensible course because smartphone thefts show no signs of slowing down. About 3.1 million smartphone-related thefts were reported in 2013 in the US, double the number in 2012, according to Consumer Reports.