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Smartphone Theft Drops After Spread of Kill Switches

Posted by Soulskill on from the stated-purposes-and-unstated-purposes dept.

alphadogg writes "Thefts involving smartphones have declined dramatically in three major cities since manufacturers began implementing 'kill switches' that allow the phones to be turned off remotely if they are stolen, authorities said on Tuesday. The number of stolen iPhones dropped by 40 percent in San Francisco and 25 percent in New York in the 12 months after Apple added a kill switch to its devices in September 2013. In London, smartphone theft dropped by half, according to an announcement by officials in the three cities.

25 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. Parts by Arcady13 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I still see lots of people selling phones for "parts" and quietly noting that the device is locked and they somehow don't have the password. So people are obviously still stealing phones without knowing they can't actually use them.

    1. Re:Parts by mlts · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This is definitely lucrative, especially around the time when a new iPhone rev comes out and people start breaking/bending their latest device. Even a disabled phone still has an intact screen/digitizer that can go for a C-note or two until the market starts getting cheaper ones in.

      In one criminal justice class, this is a common MO for high dollar stolen goods... if the item can't be sold, the parts can. For example, a stolen high-end Cannondale bicycle may not be able to be sold as a gestalt due to the serial number being in a police database, but part out the fork, shifting group, brakes, and other items, and a fence can still obtain a good chunk of change from all that even if the frame is never used.

      I'm glad the fact that phones being disabled has helped slow down device theft, but I don't think it will go away anytime soon, just because the demand for parts is always there.

    2. Re:Parts by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Funny

      well, duh, the article says as much, between 50 and 75% of thefts still occur...

      Actually, 100% of all thefts still occur. The total number might be down, though.

      The thefts which don't occur aren't thefts. Unless they occur. They don't keep stats on the thefts which don't occur until they do occur.

      True facts. ;-)

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    3. Re:Parts by ripvlan · · Score: 2

      Seems that is how the off-market auto parts works. Steal the whole car (or parts - like just Xenon headlights) and chop it up. Hard to sell the chassis because of the VIN# But you could sell the airbags, radio, tires, wheels, fenders etc for big profit. They became so good that these stolen parts made it into the regular supply chain. Next time your cellphone screen cracks - will you send it back to the manufacturer or take it around the corner to the cheap(er) repair shop?

      Supply & Demand meets The Innovators.

      Nowadays even the airbags have chips in them.

  2. Remember the down side by MetalliQaZ · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Remember the primary concern when these laws were proposed. As soon as criminals discover a way to maliciously activate the kill switch on a non-stolen phone, there will be serious fallout. Imagine the ransomware. There are similar concerns with law enforcement, who have demonstrated a desire to be able to wipe or forever disable a phone they've confiscated (usually one documenting their misdeeds).

    --
    "Here Lies Philip J. Fry, named for his uncle, to carry on his spirit"
    1. Re:Remember the down side by MetalliQaZ · · Score: 2

      Presumably once the phone has been activated on a different account, the original owner wouldn't be able to report it stolen.

      --
      "Here Lies Philip J. Fry, named for his uncle, to carry on his spirit"
    2. Re:Remember the down side by geekmux · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Remember the primary concern when these laws were proposed. As soon as criminals discover a way to maliciously activate the kill switch on a non-stolen phone, there will be serious fallout. Imagine the ransomware. There are similar concerns with law enforcement, who have demonstrated a desire to be able to wipe or forever disable a phone they've confiscated (usually one documenting their misdeeds).

      While it might be difficult to prove, tell me again how this would not be construed as destruction of evidence in every legal way?

      Oh yeah, that's right. Law Enforcement did it. I forgot they don't actually have to abide by the laws they enforce upon the rest of us...silly me.

    3. Re:Remember the down side by tompaulco · · Score: 2

      Phones are kind of expensive. You should get a notarized purchase agreement from the seller which also indicates that they make no further claim to the phone and they may not disable the phone, track it, etc.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    4. Re:Remember the down side by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 2

      Reporting a phone stolen when you actually sold it should be a felony on the same level as stealing the phone to begin with.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    5. Re:Remember the down side by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 2

      Reporting a phone stolen when you actually sold it should be a felony on the same level as stealing the phone to begin with.

      Making a false theft report IS a crime, last time I looked.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    6. Re:Remember the down side by BarbaraHudson · · Score: 2

      Wiping the phone and/or installing a different system doesn't change the IMEI. There's now a database of stolen phone IMEIs maintained for the us - just search "gsma imei database blacklist", and another one for Canada, and they merge each other's info.

      Part of the problem is that people hesitate to report the phone stolen to their carrier, or think that reporting it to the police somehow makes that happen auto-magically.

      --
      "Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
    7. Re:Remember the down side by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 2

      A cell phone's IEMI can be reprogrammed through the engineering console, at least on Android phones.

      --
      Support my political activism on Patreon.
  3. Voluntary vs mandated kill switch by dumky2 · · Score: 2

    I have concerns about such laws mandating kill switches too. But if manufacturers offer the feature and let customers opt-in, I'd think some reasonable trade-off can be achieved.

    --
    These comments are mine; I do not speak for my employer.
  4. Re:A better solution... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's funny how states that allow most citizens to carry concealed handguns don't have a problem with bad guys grabbing someone's phone, knocking them over, and trying to run off.

    I wonder if CA, NY, and the rest of them will ever figure out that "An armed society is a polite society."

    Heinleinesque fantasies aside, there is absolutely no reasonable data to suggest that people who carry concealed weapons are any safer than not. For every failed attempted cell phone theft, I would raise you an accidental shooting. Neither are common, however. You want polite? Carry the weapon out in the open. For this, I recommend a nice short sword. Decorative, a wonderful fashion statement. No reloading necessary. Practicing requires aerobic exertion (although not so much strength). Doubles as a cane for emergencies. Bonus points for LED lights on the scabbard (we can start a new craze).

    What's not to like?

    --
    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  5. Re:Now what's Tyyrone going to do for a living? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No, it's bigotry when you generalize large parts of the population. The reason this guy is racist, and a bigot is because he's assuming that all people named Tyrone will behave in the same way, simply because of their name, and in doing so stamping on those Tyrones out there who are entirely reasonable human beings.

  6. Re:Now what's Tyyrone going to do for a living? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Right, because it's fine to be racist by the back door as long as you don't actually make direct reference to the race in question. As long as you only strongly imply that you're talking about one particular race, then you're fine, you can get off scott free.

    Meanwhile, this comment is entirely friendly, and not calling you out, because I only strongly imply that it's my belief that you're an idiot.

  7. Re:Now what's Tyyrone going to do for a living? by An+Ominous+Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Tyrone Willingham

  8. 'Round Here by AVryhof · · Score: 2

    Around here, they don't steal the cellphone because it is valuable. They steal it so they have more of a head start before you can call the police.

    --
    Make America grate again!
  9. Re:Now what's Tyyrone going to do for a living? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    What's lower than a racist? A racist who thinks he's being clever about it.

  10. Re:A better solution... by OzPeter · · Score: 2

    See the thing is, as an SCA guy, if I carry the sword, I'm going to have to bring the shield to be really effective.

    WTF? Do you see Ninja's carrying shields around with them?

    I suggest you put down the roast turkey leg and the pint of ale and take a good hard look at how "effective" you SCA people are in the real-world!

    --
    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  11. Re:Cars will be next by ledow · · Score: 2

    My car already has a GPS tracker on it, with GSM texting if it moves, and integration into the fuel pump (or any 12v-controlled output) to allow remote-disable.

    It cost me GBP30 ($50?) on Amazon. It's this one:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pro...

    Takes no longer to install than a car radio, hides BEHIND the car radio (and still gets good GSM/GPS signal), even gives you an SOS button if you want it (texts the emergency numbers programmed into it with GPS position), geofencing, speed warning, remote live tracking on Google Earth, etc.

    Sorry, but you're at least five years too late.

    Sadly, I fit this into a 1997 car, so it's probably worth more than the car. And with a GBP 5 / month SIM card, I get free texts to and from it.

  12. Re:A better solution... by Lab+Rat+Jason · · Score: 2

    You completely miss the point sir... the person who caries becomes more polite, not the neighbor. The neighbor has no idea who carries. Likewise, the person who commits crime is less inclined to do so because he/she can't tell who carries and who does not. Unwilling to play the odds, they move to California or New York to ply their trade. Its a win for everyone (unless you live in California or New York of course).

    --
    Which has more power: the hammer, or the anvil?
  13. Wider effects by leehwtsohg · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The killswitches seem to have a much wider effects than realised by these insightful articles.
    Murder rate at the same time in San Francisco
    http://www.sfgate.com/crime/ar...
    and New York
    http://gothamist.com/2015/01/0...
    seem to have also decined!

  14. Re:well duh... by Rosyna · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Citation of a smartphone remote kill switch being abused? Especially one that, like iOS, is triggered on an erase and is only based on the owner's credentials for unlocking?

  15. Re:Now what's Tyyrone going to do for a living? by cyberchondriac · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hard to believe such a racist comment is posted from an account with positive karma, but even harder to believe this has been upvoted. WTF??

    Are you an American? That would explain your lack of sense of humour. It's called black humour and ironically your righteous indignation makes you sound racist to non-Americans. Get with this century already.

    Umm.. that's not what black humor is. Black humor isn't about black people; it's about satirizing the morbid: suffering, pain, death, disease, violence, et al. a sort of self-deprecating look at humanity and our vulnerabilities.

    --

    Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.