The issue of smartphone theft in urban areas has prompted politicians and prosecutors around the world to push manufacturers to build more anti-theft systems into their devices. On top of the agenda is the "Kill Switch" that would render a device useless remotely in the event that it is stolen.
Manufacturers are reluctant to make such features available, due to the potential for abuse. Still, there are other measures that can be taken that could discourage the theft of devices.
One such feature is the Activation Lock in iOS 7, present on the new iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s. Users of iPhones from iPhone 4 onwards can upgrade to iOS 7.
Prosecutors in New York and San Francisco joined with London mayor, Boris Johnson in urging iPhone owners in their cities to upgrade to iOS 7, earlier this week.
Still, the presence of activation lock in iOS 7 is not likely to bring down the number of smartphone thefts. There will likely need to be an industry-wide effort to tackle the problem.
Written by: James Delahunty @ 22 Sep 2013 16:38
