SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Legislation unveiled Friday in
California would require smartphones and other mobile devices to have a
"kill switch" to render them inoperable if lost or stolen — a move that
could be the first of its kind in the country.
State Sen. Mark
Leno, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, and other elected
and law enforcement officials said the bill, if passed, would require
mobile devices sold in or shipped to California to have the anti-theft
devices starting next year.
Leno and Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner,
both Democrats, co-authored the bill to be introduced this spring. They
joined Gascon, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and other
authorities who have been demanding that manufacturers create kill
switches to combat surging smartphone theft across the country.
Leno called on the wireless industry to step up as smartphone robberies have surged to an all-time high
in California.
"They
have a choice. They can either be a part of the problem or part of the
solution, especially when there is one readily available," Leno said.
Leno
and Gascon said they believe the bill would be the first of its kind in
the U.S. Gascon and Schneiderman have given manufacturers a June 2014
deadline to come up with solutions to curb the theft of smartphones.
CTIA-The
Wireless Association, a trade group for wireless providers, says a
permanent kill switch has serious risks, including potential
vulnerability to hackers who could disable mobile devices and lock out
not only individuals’ phones but also phones used by entities such as
the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and law enforcement.
The
association has been working on a national stolen phone database that
launched in November to remove any market for stolen smartphones.
"These
3G and 4G/LTE databases, which blacklist stolen phones and prevent them
from being reactivated, are part of the solution," Michael Altschul,
CTIA’s senior vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.
"Yet we need more international carriers and countries to participate to
help remove the aftermarket abroad for these trafficked devices."
Almost
one in three U.S. robberies involve phone theft, according to the
Federal Communications Commission. Lost and stolen mobile devices —
mostly smartphones — cost consumers more than $30 billion in 2012, the
agency said in a study.
In San Francisco alone, about 60 percent
of all robberies involve the theft of a mobile device, Police Chief Greg
Suhr said. In nearby Oakland, such thefts amount to about 75 percent of
robberies, Mayor Jean Quan added.
"We’re in California, the
technological hub of the world," Suhr said. "I can’t imagine someone
would vote against" the proposed kill switch law.
Gascon said the
industry makes an estimated $7.8 billion selling theft and loss
insurance on mobile devices but must take action to end the
victimization of its customers.
"This is one of the areas in the
criminal justice system where a technological solution can make a
tremendous difference, so there’s absolutely no argument other than
profit," Gascon said.
In 2013, about 136 million smartphones were
sold in the U.S., according to International Data Corp., a
Massachusetts-based researcher. More than 1 billion smartphones were
sold worldwide last year, accounting for $330 billion in sales, IDC
said. That’s up from 725 million in 2012.
Last year, Samsung
Electronics, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacturer, proposed
installing a kill switch in its devices. But the company told Gascon’s
office the biggest U.S. carriers rejected the idea.
A Samsung
statement issued Friday said the company doesn’t think legislation is
necessary and it would keep working with Gascon, other officials and its
wireless carrier partners to stop smartphone theft.
Apple Inc.,
the maker of the popular iPhone, said the "Activation Lock" feature of
its iOS 7 software released in the fall is designed to prevent thieves
from turning off the Find My iPhone application, which allows owners to
track their phone on a map, delete its data, and remotely lock the
device so it cannot be reactivated.
"This can help you keep your
device secure, even if it is in the wrong hands, and can improve your
chances of recovering it," Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said Friday
without commenting specifically about the proposed legislation.
Gascon
has praised Apple for its effort but reiterated Friday that it is still
too early to tell how effective its solution will be.
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