Carriers reject kill switch for stolen smartphones

[unhappycamper]

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/11/carriers-reject-kill-switch-stolen-smartphones

Carriers reject kill switch for stolen smartphones
By Terry Collins
The Associated Press
© November 19, 2013

SAN FRANCISCO

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, has proposed installing a built-in anti-theft measure known as a "kill switch" that would render stolen or lost phones inoperable, but the nation's biggest carriers have rejected the idea, according to San Francisco's top prosecutor.

District Attorney George Gascon said Monday that AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, United States Cellular Corp., Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile US Inc. rebuffed Samsung's proposal to preload its phones with Absolute LoJack anti-theft software as a standard feature.

The wireless industry says a kill switch isn't the answer because it could allow a hacker to disable someone's phone.

Gascon, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and other law enforcement officials have been demanding that manufacturers create kill switches to combat surging smartphone theft across the country.

[global1]

1. If Your Phone Is Stolen - And The Person Who Stole It Makes Calls On It.....

who is responsible for paying the bill? If you report that your phone is lost, stolen, missing to your carrier - are you responsible to paying for any calls made on it?

[JohnnyRingo]

2. I'm no technician, but...

wouldn't that leave them open to hackery?

What if someone could kill a carrier's cell phones across the country all at once? It seems that would be more than a litttle chaotic.

I'm not sure exactly how it works.