Minnesota enacted the nation's first law requiring smartphones and tablets sold in the state to have a remote shut-off feature as a way to deter theft.
Samsung Electronics proposed installing a built-in anti-theft measure known as a “kill switch” that would render stolen or lost phones inoperable, yet the nation’s biggest carriers have rejected the idea.
Philadelphia was the number one city for smartphone theft in 2012, but its mayor and the Pennsylvania Attorney General are joining the Secure Our Smartphones initiative to pressure manufacturers into adding anti-theft solutions, such as a kill-switch, to new phones.
Not willing to take smartphone manufacturers at their word, security experts will attempt to break into smartphones using thieves' tactics to test the devices' new anti-theft features.