Francisco De Jesùs.
Samsung Electronics will add two
safeguards to its latest smartphone in an effort to deter rampant theft
of the mobile devices nationwide, the company said Friday.
The world's
largest mobile-phone maker said users will be able to activate for free
its "Find My Mobile" and "Reactivation Lock" anti-theft features to
protect the soon-to-be-released Galaxy 5 S.
The
features that will lock the phone if there's an unauthorized attempt to
reset it will be on models sold by wireless carriers Verizon and U.S.
Cellular. The phones go on sale next week.
"Samsung
takes the issue of smartphone theft very seriously, and we are
continuing to enhance our security and anti-theft solutions," the
company said in a statement.
The
announcement comes as San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon,
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and other U.S. law
enforcement officials demand that manufacturers create kill switches to
combat surging smartphone theft across the country.
Earlier
this week, California legislators introduced a bill that, if passed,
would require mobile devices sold in or shipped in the state be equipped
with the anti-theft devices starting next year — a move that could be
the first of its kind in the United States. Similar legislation is being
considered in New York, Illinois, Minnesota, and bills have been
introduced in both houses of Congress.
In
July, Samsung officials told Gascon's office that the major carriers
were resisting using kill switches. However, Gascon and Schneiderman
said in a joint statement Friday that Samsung's latest move sends a
strong message that the wireless industry can work together to make
consumers safe. The prosecutors have given the manufacturers a June
deadline to find solutions to curb smartphone theft.
"More
work needs to be done to ensure that these solutions come standard on
every device, but these companies have done the right thing by
responding to our call for action," the prosecutors said. "No family
should lose a mother, a father, a son or a daughter for their phone.
Manufacturers and carriers need to put public safety before corporate
profits and stop this violent epidemic, which has put millions of
smartphone users at risk."
Apple created a similar "activation lock" feature for the popular iPhone last year.
Almost
one in three U.S. robberies involve phone theft, according to the
Federal Communications Commission. Lost and stolen mobile devices —
mostly smartphones — cost consumers more than $30 billion in 2012, the
agency said in a study.
CTIA-The
Wireless Association, a trade group for wireless providers, has said a
permanent kill switch has serious risks, including potential
vulnerability to hackers who could disable mobile devices and lock out
not only individuals' phones but also phones used by entities such as
the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and law enforcement.
The association created a national stolen phone database last year to remove any market for stolen smartphones.
You can go to findmymobile.samsung.com to read the instructions for how to set up the remote controls for your device, just select the product model.
AP.
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