A top New York Prosecutor said authorities across the country want a “kill switch” for smartphones, according to the Associated Press.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said a new interagency coalition, the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative, is forming to stop mobile phone theft. Schneiderman said 33 percent of thefts in the United States are of a mobile phone.
"All too often, these robberies turn violent," he said during a news conference.
The initiative combines police, politicians, consumer advocates and prosecutors. They will combine to push smartphone makers and shareholders to fight the stolen phone mark.
The coalition wants a “kill switch”—a way to shut off phones if they have been stolen. The coalition says it’s just like when a credit card gets stolen. After a card gets lost or stolen, a cardholder can cancel that card with relative ease. The coalition wants the same thing. If a phone is lost or stolen, a “kill switch” can “cancel” access.
Recently at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10, Apple revealed they would have a sort of kill switch on their phones, according to CNN.com.
The function, entitled Activation Lock, comes with the new iOS 7 operating system that is supposed to debut this fall. According to Apple the feature is supposed to deter thieves. This is probably because “Apple-picking,” the term used to describe the thefts of iPhones, has become a great problem.
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, who stood with Schneiderman at the news conference, said he is not sure if the Activation Lock will work.
"Apple has been very vague as to what the system will do," he said. "We've been led to believe that it is not a 'kill switch.' "
