1. Acidwire's Avatar
    BBC News - Android and Windows to get 'kill switch'

    [Google and Microsoft will add a "kill-switch" feature to their Android and Windows phone operating systems.

    The feature is a method of making a handset completely useless if it is stolen, rendering a theft pointless.

    Authorities have been urging tech firms to take steps to help curb phone theft and argued that a kill-switch feature can help resolve the problem.

    Apple and Samsung, two of the biggest phone makers, offer a similar feature on some of their devices.

    The move by Google and Microsoft means that kill switches will now be a part of the three most popular phone operating systems in the world.

    Growing problem
    Continue reading the main story

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    An activated kill switch converts an easy-to-sell, high-value multimedia device into a jumble of plastic and glass�

    New York State Attorney General
    Smartphone theft has become a big problem across the world. According to a report by US authorities:

    Some 3.1 million mobile devices were stolen in the US in 2013, nearly double the number of devices stolen in 2012
    One in three Europeans experienced the theft or loss of a mobile device in 2013
    In South Korea mobile device theft increased five-fold between 2009 and 2012
    In Colombia criminals stole over one million devices in 2013
    In an attempt to tackle the issue, policymakers have launched an initiative called Secure our Smartphones.

    As part of it, they have urged technology firms to take steps to make it less attractive for robbers to steal mobile devices.

    "An activated kill switch converts an easy-to-sell, high-value multimedia device into a jumble of plastic and glass, drastically reducing its street value," the report by New York Attorney General said.

    line
    Explainer: How a kill switch works

    A "hard" kill switch would render a stolen device permanently unusable and is favoured by legislators who want to give stolen devices the "value of a paperweight"
    A "soft" kill switch only make a phone unusable to "an unauthorised user"
    Some argue that the only way to permanently disable a phone is to physically damage it
    Experts worry that hackers could find a way to hijack a kill signal and turn off phones
    If a phone is turned off or put into aeroplane mode, it might not receive the kill signal at all, warn experts
    line
    Authorities claim that Apple's feature - dubbed Activation Lock - which it introduced on all iPhones running the iOS 7 operating system in September last year, has helped reduce theft substantially.

    According to a report by the New York State Attorney General, in the first five months of 2014 the theft of Apple devices fell by 17% in New York City.

    Meanwhile iPhone robberies fell 24% in London and 38% in San Francisco in the six months after Apple introduced the feature, compared to the previous six months.

    "During the same period, thefts of other popular mobile devices increased," the report says.

    Manoj Menon, managing director of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan said the move was a step in the right direction.

    "This is a fantastic move and will go a long way in helping authorities come one step closer to realising a vision of zero theft of mobile phone," he told the BBC.

    But he added that it was "not a foolproof system" as thieves "will find a way to monetise the accessories and parts of a phone".

    However, he said the market for parts and accessories was relatively small and the kill switch "does substantially reduce the financial incentive of stealing a device".
    Do you think blackberry has plans to introduce a kill switch into its blackberry protect feature?
    06-20-14 01:42 PM
  2. senel's Avatar
    With kill switch you mean the feature that allow government to control and disable your phone for example not to takes photos of police brutality?

    Posted via CB10
    06-20-14 01:43 PM
  3. bambinoitaliano's Avatar
    Is this working now on their devices?

    Posted via CB10
    06-20-14 01:44 PM
  4. kg4icg's Avatar
    You already have that, it's called BlackBerry protect and is very easy to use.

    Posted via CB10
    zachgeo likes this.
    06-20-14 01:48 PM
  5. Acidwire's Avatar
    You already have that, it's called BlackBerry protect and is very easy to use.

    Posted via CB10
    There isn't a kill switch feature on BlackBerry currently, you can lock wipe or display a message the same as androids built in device manager but you can't make the phone a brick on request if stolen
    06-20-14 01:51 PM
  6. LoneStarRed's Avatar
    With kill switch you mean the feature that allow government to control and disable your phone for example not to takes photos of police brutality?

    Posted via CB10
    I suppose if the carrier has the capability then a government can co-opt it. But it is primarily a feature for post theft countermeasures.

    The law of large numbers pretty much randomizes when and where someone would be in a place and time to witness and therefore film "police brutality". And that rules out government actively seeking to kill your phone to preempt you recording of such occurrences.
    06-20-14 01:52 PM
  7. kg4icg's Avatar
    Remotely wiping your phone is a kill feature. Also BlackBerry's can be rendered useless by the pin in the phone which is unique to the phone, not the user.
    06-20-14 01:56 PM
  8. Acidwire's Avatar
    With kill switch you mean the feature that allow government to control and disable your phone for example not to takes photos of police brutality?

    Posted via CB10
    If they were going to do that they'd just wipe your phone and sd card using the protect feature that all platforms currently posess instead of bricking your phone and leaving recoverable info on an sd card
    06-20-14 01:59 PM
  9. djmach_7HN's Avatar
    There isn't a kill switch feature on BlackBerry currently, you can lock wipe or display a message the same as androids built in device manager but you can't make the phone a brick on request if stolen
    Besides Blackberry Protect, you can block your phone using the IMEI code (*#06#). I know this has its flaws, but it can get the job done in most cases.
    06-20-14 02:00 PM
  10. AnimalPak200's Avatar
    Sounds bad for the environment. I take solace in knowing (hoping, really) my "lost" BlackBerry devices are still part of the 0.00001% BlackBerry market share.

    Posted via CB10
    06-20-14 02:01 PM
  11. Old_Mil's Avatar
    With regards to actively seeking you out, this is how it works post Arab spring: YouTube monitors content for videos uploaded from the same area. When they reach a certain threshold they notify authorities...the authorities are then in a position to activate kill switches in a specific area. Eventually I am sure that android will move to share this information with the authorities when the video is taken.

    ..and now you know why I think android - and collaboration with android - is bad.

    Posted via CB10
    06-20-14 04:27 PM
  12. Phi Nguyen's Avatar
    Actually its more likely to happens on a bbry th�n any other manufacturer
    Bbry has aggreements with governments to allow lawenforcement to monitor bbry us�rs
    Indonesia uae and even saudia arabia
    Have all threatened to ban bbry If they dont Comply

    All were quietly settled with no comment from bbry Except We will follow th� rules of th� country th�se are consid�r�d big markets for bbry

    Google ms and Apple have all publically went against government requests and publically post how many requests they receive yet bbry remains quiet about th� issue

    Posted via CrackBerry App
    06-20-14 04:38 PM
  13. Phi Nguyen's Avatar
    I suppose if the carrier has the capability then a government can co-opt it. But it is primarily a feature for post theft countermeasures.

    The law of large numbers pretty much randomizes when and where someone would be in a place and time to witness and therefore film "police brutality". And that rules out government actively seeking to kill your phone to preempt you recording of such occurrences.
    Actually every country has a blacklist of imei numbers If th� phone is stolen It gets reported It goes against th� list and can never be activateds again

    Posted via CrackBerry App
    06-20-14 04:40 PM
  14. whatsever's Avatar
    First off all with a blackberry code witch is impossible to break no living soul can use your phone or install a new OS and Second you can wipe your phone and also block your phone so stealing a blackberry is no use and losing is no good but no problem for your data if you have it password protected.
    06-20-14 04:46 PM
  15. spyeagle's Avatar
    BlackBerry does have a kill switch, it is called a PIN block and Theft is one of the reasons it can be done. This disables your phone to the point that only BlackBerry can re-enable it again.
    stabstabdie, zorgond and MrGlenn like this.
    06-20-14 04:52 PM
  16. stabstabdie's Avatar
    BlackBerry does have a kill switch, it is called a PIN block and Theft is one of the reasons it can be done. This disables your phone to the point that only BlackBerry can re-enable it again.
    I was just about to say this.
    You can have the pin blocked and the phone is useless .
    06-20-14 05:42 PM
  17. spikesolie's Avatar
    Falling to swift marketing ploys are we?

    Posted via CB10
    06-20-14 05:58 PM
  18. Old_Mil's Avatar
    It is one thing for a carrier to block your phone for nonpayment or because it was stolen. It is quite another for a government to do it because they have an agenda


    Posted via CB10
    06-20-14 06:05 PM

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