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http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-smartphone-killswitch/smartphone-theft-drops-in-london-two-u-s-cities-as-anti-theft-kill-switches-installed-idUKKBN0LF09320

• shakna 9y ago
  > Thefts involving smartphones have declined dramatically in three major cities since manufacturers began implementing “kill switches” that allow the phones to be turned off remotely if they are stolen, authorities said on Tuesday. > Johnson, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman were among numerous officials arguing for new laws mandating the kill switches. So phone theft decreased in cities considering mandating remote kill switches. That seems less Activation Lock, and more: > So far, Apple, Samsung and Google have implemented kill switches on their smartphones, and Microsoft is expected to release an operating system for its Windows phones that has one this year ... the fact that everyone is bringing such a technology to market at similar timelines. --- As for the claimed 50% drop: > The number of stolen iPhones dropped by 40 percent in San Francisco and 25 percent in New York in the 12 months after Apple Inc added a kill switch to its devices in September 2013. In London, smartphone theft dropped by half, according to an announcement by officials in the three cities. That's an average below 40%, but those aren't stats. They're rounded figures. And only in three cities, over the whole world.