The biggest cell phone manufacturers plan on having “kill switches” a standard feature on smartphones sometime in 2015. These “kill switches” would be able to remotely disable the device, effectively wiping all data from memory. Advocates say that this will deter thieves from stealing cell phones, which seems to me that it would. People store a bunch of sensitive information on their phones, and some people (with questionable morals) look to get this information. Maybe they want to steal the person’s identity, get information about another person, etc. With the “kill switch”, once you determine that your phone has been stolen or lost, you can wipe that device clean and have peace of mind.
I tried to think of some disadvantages to having standard “kill switches” on cell phones, but I am having a hard time coming up with any. I ask myself, why hasn’t this feature been standard a long time ago? Well, according to this article, “they fear hackers exploiting remote-kill technology, while critics accuse the industry of not wanting to lose revenue from replacing and activating stolen phones.” Unfortunately, money seems to win out over common sense sometimes.
Although this is an opt-in feature, continued pressure from legislature will probably push carriers to offer it as an opt-out feature in the near future.
Contribute
-
Recent Posts
- Cybathlon April 28, 2014
- Facial Recognition Software being adapted and utilized by the FBI April 28, 2014
- Aereo Streaming Broadcast Service Under Attack April 28, 2014
- Comcast Accuses Netflix of Throttling it’s Own Bandwidth April 27, 2014
- 3-D Printed Cancer: The Breakthrough and The Risks April 26, 2014
- Kill Switch for Smartphones Coming Next Year April 22, 2014
- Possible for real-life pirates to arm themselves using the piratebay? April 21, 2014
- Put A Camera On Your Eyeball April 20, 2014
- How “close” can google get to you? April 20, 2014
- Snowden a Surprise Guest for Putin During Interview April 20, 2014
- Samsung Sues Korean Newspaper Over False Claims April 17, 2014
- Foxconn April 16, 2014
Recent Comments
- joseph on Comcast Accuses Netflix of Throttling it’s Own Bandwidth
- Rake on Cybathlon
- jcoger on Comcast Accuses Netflix of Throttling it’s Own Bandwidth
- nolan on Possible for real-life pirates to arm themselves using the piratebay?
- nolan on Cybathlon
- KayRuffin on Samsung Sues Korean Newspaper Over False Claims
- TETA on Snowden a Surprise Guest for Putin During Interview
- Mike Davis on How “close” can google get to you?
- Mike Davis on Snowden a Surprise Guest for Putin During Interview
- Mike Davis on Kill Switch for Smartphones Coming Next Year
- CameronSchmidt on Snowden a Surprise Guest for Putin During Interview
- nickgol on 3-D Printed Cancer: The Breakthrough and The Risks
Categories
Archives
Meta
5 Responses to Kill Switch for Smartphones Coming Next Year