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Smartphone Theft Drops After Spread of Kill Switches
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.
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.
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"
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!
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.
Tyrone Willingham
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!
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?
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.