Apple, Google, Microsoft Embrace the Fight Against Smartphone Theft

Apple, Google, Microsoft Embrace the Fight Against Smartphone Theft

Some of the leading companies in the smartphone industry have signed a pledge to include new anti-theft technology in phones starting July 2015.

The Wireless Association (CTIA) announced the signing of the “Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment”. Among the signees are Apple, Google, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular.

The signees agree that new models of smartphones, manufactured after July 2015 and sold in the U.S. will have a pre-loaded or downloadable anti-theft tool.

The tool will enable the user to remotely wipe data from the phone and render it inoperable in case the phone is stolen or lost. Furthermore, the tool will prevent reactivation without user’s permission (including factory reset attempts), but it will allow the authorized user to reverse the inoperability and restore data in case the phone is recovered. The initiative comes after several states started considering laws that would make an anti-theft kill switch mandatory for smartphones.