New software ‘kill switch’ to thwart thefts:
Microsoft & Google Follows Apple Security Software Which Render handset Unusable after Reported Stolen
Microsoft and google said that phones using their operating systems – including handsets produced by Samsung ,Nokia and Motorola – will have a so called kill switch that can render the device unusable after they have been reported stolen.
Apple’s iPhone has had a kill switch ,called Activation Lock , since September.
Comparing data in the six months before and after Apple released its antitheft feature (Activation Lock) ,robberies in SAn Francisco dropped by 38%. In London they fell by 24%.
About Kill Switch Software:
A Kill Switch is a software through which consumers lock down(Deactivated) the smartphone after Reported Stolen , user can Reactivate the phone only if they know the correct identification number or Password. So its difficult to sell a stolen phone in black market.
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There are many companies which provide security remote control like XOLO SECURE , Xolo Secure is a similar software by which user can control his phone remotely . User not only can start GPS and find the correct location of phone but also that phone send some security pictures to users mail ID with current location of phone.
But after the Kill Switch Software the level of security will surely increase, Eric T Schneiderman , new York’s attorney general, said in an interview.“If these can be cancelled like the equivalent of cancelling a credit card , these are going to be equivalent of stealing a paper weight.”
Earlier this year ,their are many companies ,including Apple ,AT&T, Google,Samsung Electronics and Verizon Wireless, commited to offering free anti theft software for smartphones by summer of next year. Microsoft said that they will provide this feature in the next software update of its windows phone operating system.
