Two of UK's biggest telecom companies roll out 'kill switch' to block stolen phones from working: How it works
Two of the United Kingdom’s largest mobile network providers , Virgin Media O2 and VodafoneThree , have launched a new “kill switch” technology designed to disable smartphones stolen from their retail stores. According to a report by The Financial Times, the move comes after major handset manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, resisted pressure to introduce a broader, universal antitheft lock.
The report says that the decision to deploy the tracking technology is aimed at destroying the black market for stolen devices. There has been a surge in mobile retail crimes; in London alone, phone theft affected more than 70,000 individuals last year, the report claims.
How the ‘Kill Switch’ technology works
According to people familiar with the matter, the security measure operates under strict guidelines to deter organised criminal gangs from raiding storefronts. Notably, the technology applies only to brand-new smartphones that have not yet been sold to consumers. The exact moment a phone is stolen from a shop and switched on, it is automatically flagged and logged into a specialised database run by the device manufacturer.
The report says that the decision to deploy the tracking technology is aimed at destroying the black market for stolen devices. There has been a surge in mobile retail crimes; in London alone, phone theft affected more than 70,000 individuals last year, the report claims.
How the ‘Kill Switch’ technology works
According to people familiar with the matter, the security measure operates under strict guidelines to deter organised criminal gangs from raiding storefronts. Notably, the technology applies only to brand-new smartphones that have not yet been sold to consumers. The exact moment a phone is stolen from a shop and switched on, it is automatically flagged and logged into a specialised database run by the device manufacturer.
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