The UK Metropolitan Police force is trying to get smartphone manufacturers to bring out devices with password / PIN protection enabled by default to ensure security of user data.
The Metropolitan Police came up with the idea, after a research found that 60 per cent of the smartphones don’t have a password and these remains vulnerable to identity theft and misuse.
With smartphones becoming an intrinsic part of life for many, one would find all sorts of details on a smartphone including address, emails, personal details, photos, Facebook and Twitter details among other things. Such information is inviting and prone to be misused if in the hands of a criminal.
Default password protection would also reduce theft of mobile phones as it would be difficult for some of the thieves to crack the code and sell the devices again.
It has been two years since the Metropolitan Police is lobbying with smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung to make passwords mandatory. The police force is of the view that consumers will be motivated to keep their smartphones locked if their devices come with a preset password protection.
“We have been talking to the industry and government. This is one of the main ideas among a range of measures we are trying to push to protect personal data. All the industry has been engaged at some level – and governments too”, said DCI Bob Mahony while speaking to The Register.
Phone manufacturers on the other hand are also trying to improve security and dabbling with the idea of having fingerprint sensors for phone unlocking and mobile payments.
Thomas Labarthe, European Managing Director of technology security firm Lookout said that Brits (44 per cent) are the least likely to keep their phones locked with passwords. 86 per cent Germans use passwords and the number is 56 per cent in the US.
The Metropolitan Police said that with mobile phones being sold on a global market many stolen devices are being re-sold across the globe.
