“kill-switch” software rejected by US carriers

Two proposed bills, one in the California State Senate and one in the U.S. Senate, seek to make kill switches mandatory on all phones sold from Jan. 1 next year. But the industry is against it.

The technology was offered last year, but the wireless carriers turned it down.

The so-called “kill-switch” software allows consumers to remotely wipe and render their phones useless if stolen. In many major U.S. cities, more than half of all street theft involves a smartphone or tablet.

The LoJack software, developed by Canada’s Absolute Software, would have made it a standard component of all Android phones in the U.S.

Samsung proposed that only the component to wipe the system be installed, though an owner would be allowed, with an additional fee, to employ the retrieval service.