Samsung, along with other tech industry giants, met with New York Attorney General Erich Schneiderman recently to discuss the implementation of the smartphone kill switch that we’ve talked about before in order to reduce the number of device thefts that keep occurring in the U.S. Now, it looks like the Korea-based electronics company has finally agreed to work on it and not only that, but actually release it to users soon, as new reports indicate that it could happen as early as next month.
In what could be a bid to show that it’s not just motivated by profit and actually takes care of social responsibility, Samsung is said to be working on delivering a kill switch feature for smartphones as soon as July. It is currently the world’s top smartphone maker in terms of sales, so it’s in a position to really effect a change in the industry, especially in areas that really need attention.
Once active, the kill switch feature will enable manufacturers, carriers, and possibly even the U.S. government to remotely lock, wipe, and disable any smartphone so that it can no longer be used anywhere in the world. Not under a new carrier, not with a new prepaid SIM card, nothing. Essentially, it’s a button that would allow the ones in charge to “brick” any compatible device, no questions asked.
The details of Samsung’s upcoming kill switch feature for smartphones have so far not been made public yet, but if the Korean company really does intend to issue it to users next month, then we’re likely to find out more about it in the coming weeks.
How useful do you think this type of feature will be? Would you feel safer knowing that such a feature exists? Tell us in the comments.