Microsoft andGoogle, Taking Cue From Apple, Add ‘Kill Switch
Following Apple’s lead, Google and Microsoft will add “kill switches” to their next smartphone operating systems — a measure that has apparently led to a sharp drop in thefts of iPhones.
The announcement was made Thursday by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, who head a Secure Our Smartphones Initiative that has steamrolled initial opposition from the wireless industry with a campaign backed by law enforcement.
“This is very significant and validates everything we have been trying to do legislatively in Sacramento this past year,” said State Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who has introduced a bill requiring every smartphone maker to have a kill switch.
A kill switch lets an owner remotely deactivate a stolen smartphone, rendering it useless until it is reactivated by its owner.
More: Microsoft andGoogle, Taking Cue From Apple, Add ‘Kill Switch - San Jose Mercury News