California governor Jerry Brown on Monday signed a new bill into law that will require smartphone makers to build “kill switches” into every smartphone sold in California to deter theft.
The bill, which was introduced by State Senator Mark Leno and sponsored by George Gascón, San Francisco’s district attorney, mandates inclusion of a “kill switch” on all smartphones sold in California starting in July 2015.
As per the bill, any smartphone manufactured and sold on or after July 1, 2015, in California should come with the technological solution at the time of sale, when provided by the manufacturer or operating system provider. Once initiated and successfully communicated to the smartphone, the kill switch should render the essential features of the smartphone inoperable to an unauthorized user when the smartphone is not in the possession of an authorized user.
Democratic state Senator Mark Leno said with the introduction of the kill switch bill California has just put smartphone thieves on notice.
He added that the latest move will effectively wipe out the incentive to steal smartphones and curb this crime of convenience, which is fuelling street crime and violence within our communities.
Smartphones selling in California after the July 1, 2015 deadline without incorporating the anti-theft technology could be levied with a civil penalty of $500-2,500 on per smartphone sold.
Tech giants Apple, Google, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, Microsoft, Nokia and Samsung, along with the five major US cell carriers, have voluntarily agreed earlier this year to ship smartphones with the anti-theft technology turned on by default beginning July 2015.
