Theft of smartphones is an ongoing issue in many major metropolitan areas, and California is looking to crack down on the whole situation with one sweeping bill. And it just got passed. The bill was recently passed through the necessary political steps it needed through the California government to make it to the governor, where it was passed on to governor Jerry Brown on August 12. Now, on August 25, it’s now a law that will go into effect beginning July 2015. With the new law, manufacturers will need to install new anti-theft features, or a kill switch, into their devices that are sold in California. The kill switch can either be installed through software or hardware, but the end result has to be same: the device must be inoperable to anyone who might not be the owner, whether the device has been misplaced or outright theft. With the kill switch, the device must not be able to be reactivated on a carrier’s network unless it’s by the owner. The kill switch must be able to withstand a device with downgraded software, or a hard reset: The bill was co-sponsored by California state Senator Mark Leno and San Francisco district attorney George Gascón. “This epidemic has impacted millions across the nation and millions more around the globe, but today we turn the page,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “Seldom can a public safety crisis be addressed by a technological solution, but today wireless consumers everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. Soon, stealing a smartphone won’t be worth the trouble, and these violent street crimes will be a thing of the past. The devices we use every day will no longer make us targets for violent criminals.“ Android Device Manager, a way to remotely lock a device, is already in place for Android-based devices, so it wouldn’t be a big step for Google to implement the new features necessary to abide by the law. What do you think of the new law?
