Authorities in two major U.S. cities and London reported on Tuesday that smartphone theft has dropped drastically since the introduction of remote-access “kill-switches” that allow users to remotely lock stolen phones. Apple’s Activation Lock is perhaps the best known of these features.
Specifically, the number of stolen iPhones dropped 25 percent in New York, 40 percent in San Francisco, and 50 percent in London.
The study covered the 12 month period following the introduction of Apple’s Activation Lock feature in September 2013, as a feature of iOS 7. A similar report last summer reported iPhone thefts had fallen in each city by 19 percent, 38 percent, and 24 percent, respectively.
“We have made real progress in tackling the smartphone theft epidemic that was affecting many major cities just two years ago,” said London Mayor Boris Johnson.
Reuters reports that officials from each city – London Mayor Boris Johnson, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, and New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman – have all lobbied for laws requiring the implementation of Activation Lock-like features in every smartphone sold.
Data collected by the National Consumers League shows that 1.6 million Americans reported their handset stolen in 2012.
“The wireless industry continues to roll out sophisticated new features, but preventing their own customers from being the target of a violent crime is the coolest technology they can bring to market,” Gascon said.
Apple’s much praised Activation Lock feature launched in 2013, and a few months later the company joined with other smartphone makers to enter a voluntary agreement that a “kill-switch” would be included with every smartphone sold on or after July 2015. California passed a law last August making such a feature mandatory, designating the same July 2015 date for implementation.
