Senate bill would require smartphone ‘kill switch’

[Natural Citizen]

Klobuchar’s bill would mandate fines or other penalties - enforced by the Federal Communications Commission - for phone makers or wireless companies that refused to comply.

http://rt.com/usa/smartphone-kill-switch-theft-170/

[Danke]

Dumb Politicians worrying about Smart Phones.

[CPUd]

Smartphone kill switch:

http://i.imgur.com/N4P79uC.jpg

[idiom]

All phones should have this. Blackberries do.

However the carriers oppose it because it keep the phones worth stealing because of the resale value. iPhones would get stolen a lot less if they became worthless. Phones get stolen and are still usable on the carriers network. Carrier gets another customer and gets to sell you a new phone.

All it requires is for the carriers to adhere to a blacklist. But it's not in their interest.

[Champ]

Yet another embarrassingly useless piece of legislation straight from the politicians of Minnesota.

Thanks guys!

[Anti Federalist]

Senator Amy Klobuchar will soon introduce a bill to combat smartphone theft - a rapidly growing crime as the technology proliferates - that would require phone makers to install a “kill switch” to prohibit a stolen device’s further use.

Oh, really?

Nope, this about government having the means to shut off sail fawn communications when and where it desires.

[Natural Citizen]

‘Kill switch’ smartphone bill dead on arrival in California Senate (http://rt.com/usa/154996-california-kill-switch-bill-dies/)




California lawmakers voted down a bill this week that would have forced cell phone manufacturers to pre-install a “kill switch” on every phone sold in the state, an initiative supporters deemed an obvious attempt to curb smartphone and identity theft.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Justice filed a brief (http://rt.com/usa/154728-cellphones-warrantless-search-supreme-court/) with the Supreme Court this week, backing law enforcement’s ability to search a suspect’s phone immediately to retrieve potential evidence.

That move seemed geared towards preventing an individual from erasing the contents of their device prior to the use of a feature such as a remote “kill switch,” or in the case of Apple’s iPhone, for example, an available feature to remotely lock a mobile phone.

[LibForestPaul]

All phones should have this. Blackberries do.

However the carriers oppose it because it keep the phones worth stealing because of the resale value. iPhones would get stolen a lot less if they became worthless. Phones get stolen and are still usable on the carriers network. Carrier gets another customer and gets to sell you a new phone.

All it requires is for the carriers to adhere to a blacklist. But it's not in their interest.

If it were in the consumers interest, they would be demanding it and paying for it. Not having it forced upon all.