SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Samsung Electronics will add two
safeguards to its latest smartphone in an effort to deter rampant theft
of the mobile devices nationwide, the company said Friday.
The
world’s largest mobile-phone maker said users will be able to activate
for free its "Find My Mobile" and "Reactivation Lock" anti-theft
features to protect the soon-to-be-released Galaxy 5 S.
The
features that will lock the phone if there’s an unauthorized attempt to
reset it will be on models sold by wireless carriers Verizon and U.S.
Cellular. The phones go on sale next week.
"Samsung takes the
issue of smartphone theft very seriously, and we are continuing to
enhance our security and anti-theft solutions," the company said in a
statement.
The announcement comes as San Francisco District
Attorney George Gascon, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and
other U.S. law enforcement officials demand that manufacturers create
kill switches to combat surging smartphone theft across the country.
Earlier
this week, California legislators introduced a bill that, if passed,
would require mobile devices sold in or shipped in the state be equipped
with the anti-theft devices starting next year — a move that could be
the first of its kind in the United States.
Similar legislation is
being considered in New York, Illinois, Minnesota, and bills have been
introduced in both houses of Congress.
In July, Samsung officials
told Gascon’s office that the major carriers were resisting using kill
switches. However, Gascon and Schneiderman said in a joint statement
Friday that Samsung’s latest move sends a strong message that the
wireless industry can work together to make consumers safe. The
prosecutors have given the manufacturers a June deadline to find
solutions to curb smartphone theft.
"More work needs to be done to
ensure that these solutions come standard on every device, but these
companies have done the right thing by responding to our call for
action," the prosecutors said.
"No family should lose a mother, a
father, a son or a daughter for their phone. Manufacturers and carriers
need to put public safety before corporate profits and stop this violent
epidemic, which has put millions of smartphone users at risk."
Apple created a similar "activation lock" feature for the popular iPhone last year.
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.
CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade
group for wireless providers, has said 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 created a national stolen phone database last year to remove any market for stolen
smartphones.
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