Smartphone Thefts Plunge Thanks To 'kill Switch'

(RTTNews) - The number of thefts and robberies of smartphones have dropped significantly in New York City, London and San Francisco since manufacturers started introducing 'kill switches' on their devices, according to new crime data released Wednesday by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, London Mayor Boris Johnson and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón.

From January 2013 to December 2014, iPhone robberies dropped 25% in New York City and 40% in San Francisco, data showed. London has recorded a similar decline in smartphone crime.

The Secure Our Smartphones Initiative, formed in June of 2013 to find solutions to the violent crime wave of smartphone thefts, attributed the drop to the deterrent effect of the kill switch technology that allows a user to deactivate a stolen phone, making it unusable even if the memory is wiped and operating system is reinstalled. Schneiderman, Johnson and Gascón co-chair the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative.

"The huge drops in smartphone theft that have occurred since then are evidence that our strategy is working—fewer families are suffering, and people are safer in our cities and across the world," said New York AG Schneiderman.

Apple Inc.' (AAPL) iPhone was the first phone to adopt the 'kill switch' technology when the Cupertino, California-based electronics giant released a kill switch, called Activation Lock, in September 2013 as part of the iOS 7 software update. It has been made a standard feature in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. introduced a kill switch-type solution on the Galaxy S5 in April 2014. Google Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) released a version of Android with a kill switch in October 2014. Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT) Windows is expected to release its kill switch-enabled operating system in 2015.

In August, California enacted a law requiring all smartphones sold in the state after July 1, 2015 to include the kill switch technology on an opt-out basis. The wireless industry has indicated that all smartphones sold in the United States will meet the requirements established by the California law.