State Rep. Joe Atkins announced plans today to introduce legislation requiring smartphones to have a "kill switch" that would render stolen or lost devices inoperable.
If passed, this law will be the first of its kind in the United States. California and New York legislators are considering similar legislation. Atkins said the legislation will be formally introduced on January 13th, for passage in the 2014 legislative session.
Atkins joins law enforcement officials nationwide, as well as U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, who have been demanding that manufacturers create kill switches to combat surging smartphone theft across the country.
"Smartphone theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in Minnesota and across the country, and these crimes are becoming increasingly violent," Atkins said. "We cannot continue to ignore the availability of existing technology to stop cellphone thieves in their tracks. It is time to act on this growing and violent threat to Minnesotans."
Almost 1 in 3 U.S. robberies involve phone theft, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Lost and stolen mobile devices — mostly smartphones — cost consumers more than $30 billion last year. A violent attack last week on Minneapolis mayoral candidate Mark Andrew at the Mall of America, in which his smartphone was stolen and he was badly beaten, illustrates how smartphone theft can target anyone, no matter who they are or where they are.
Samsung Electronics, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, earlier this year proposed installing a kill switch in its devices. But the idea was rejected by the nation's biggest carriers, reportedly because it would cut into the carriers’ lucrative business of insuring lost or stolen cell phones.