{"id":26160,"date":"2014-06-20T07:39:17","date_gmt":"2014-06-20T07:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=26160"},"modified":"2014-06-20T07:39:17","modified_gmt":"2014-06-20T07:39:17","slug":"android-and-windows-to-get-kill-switch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/06\/android-and-windows-to-get-kill-switch\/","title":{"rendered":"Android and Windows to get ‘kill switch’"},"content":{"rendered":"
Google and Microsoft will add a “kill-switch” feature to their Android and Windows phone operating systems.<\/p>\n
The feature is a method of making a handset completely useless if it is stolen, rendering a theft pointless.<\/p>\n
Authorities have been urging tech firms to take steps to help curb phone theft and argued that a kill-switch feature can help resolve the problem.<\/p>\n
Apple and Samsung, two of the biggest phone makers, offer a similar feature on some of their devices.<\/p>\n
The move by Google and Microsoft means that kill switches will now be a part of the three most popular phone operating systems in the world.<\/p>\n
Growing problem<\/p>\n
Smartphone theft has become a big problem across the world. According to a report by US authorities:<\/p>\n
In an attempt to tackle the issue, policymakers have launched an initiative called Secure our Smartphones.<\/p>\n
As part of it, they have urged technology firms to take steps to make it less attractive for robbers to steal mobile devices.<\/p>\n
“An activated kill switch converts an easy-to-sell, high-value multimedia device into a jumble of plastic and glass, drastically reducing its street value,” the report by New York Attorney General said.<\/p>\n
Authorities claim that Apple’s feature – dubbed Activation Lock – which it introduced on all iPhones running the iOS 7 operating system in September last year, has helped reduce theft substantially.<\/p>\n