Samsung Electronics idea for a kill-switch on smartphones to turn off stolen devices has been opposed by major United States mobile phone companies the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
"We are working with the leaders of the Secure Our Smartphones (S.O.S.) Initiative to incorporate the perspective of law enforcement agencies," Samsung said in a statement Fox News reported. "We will continue to work with them and our wireless carrier partners towards our common goal of stopping smartphone theft."
The person who lost the phone would be able to shut it down using their username, and password if someone declares it taken.
AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, United States Cellular Corp, Sprint Corp, and T-Mobile US Inc., are among the companies who do want to have Absolute LoJack anti-theft software on devices they make.
"I think that this is motivated by profit," San Francisco district attorney George Gascon told CNN.
Gascon feels mobile phone companies just want their money, and are not interested in risking money from their insurance, turning back on re-furbished devices, and selling backup phones.
"The problem is how do you trigger a kill switch in a secure manner and not be compromised by a third party and be subjected to hacking," James Moran, a security adviser with the GSMA, a United Kingdom wireless trade group who keeps an information log of stolen phones told Fox News.The GSMA is also making for Untied States cases.
The wireless association CITA has become concerned about hackers, and the ability to re-use phones.
"CTIA and its member companies worked hard over the last year to help law enforcement with its stolen phone problem," CTIA Vice President Jamie Hastings in a statement CNN reported. "The industry, with direction from the Federal Communications Commission, law enforcement officials from major cities and other policymakers worked collaboratively to develop a proactive, multifaceted approach to dry up the aftermarket for stolen phones."
Some say the kill switch does not make a difference.
"Thieves cannot do anything with the device unless they have the user's ID, which they don't," Ojas Rege, vice president of strategy at Mobile Iron, a technology software security company out of Mountain View, Calif., told Fox News. "The activation lock addresses this issue without the carriers having to do anything. That is not the number one priority for manufacturers. They're driven by creating the next great feature for their smartphones."
