Federal effort underway to deter smartphone thieves

Here is an interesting story published today:

Network World - The Federal Communications Commission and the CTIA Wireless Association are joining hands in an attempt to take a bite out of smartphone crime.

The FCC and CTIA today announced a three-part plan to help prevent smartphone theft and protect consumers' personal data from falling into the hands of criminals.

First, wireless carriers will create a nationwide database of smartphones that catalogs every single International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number currently in use and then uses the number to remotely deactivate smartphones when they are reported stolen. The database, which is expected to be online by November, will prevent any stolen GSM phone from being used on any GSM network in the United States. CTIA also said that carriers are working on a similar database for LTE devices that is scheduled to come online by the end of 2013.

The second part of the plan involves sending users direct notifications via SMS containing information on how to create secure passwords for their devices that can be used to lock down the phone and prevent thieves from accessing it. Finally, the carriers are also planning to educate consumers about mobile applications they can download onto their devices that give them the ability to remotely lock, locate or wipe data from their smartphone if it gets stolen. The carriers plan to fully enact both of these initiatives by spring 2013.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said during a news conference announcing the initiative today that he wanted consumers to know that both the FCC and the wireless industry have "got your back."

www.computerworld.com...

Can anyone see where this is leading? It sounds like a good idea, but it also sounds very complex. I can see this causing more problems for consumers than it should.

There's already an app for that
2nd

reply to post by chemistry


Good luck with that.

(laughs)

Uncle Sammy's solution to *EVERY* problem known to man. Make a national database, track everything about everyone even remotely related to whatever the problem is and keep that data basically forever. Yeah.. That does seem to be at the core of EVERY solution.

Anyone else see a pattern here? Well.. aside from the fact the Gov't solutions rarely work at all...and never as advertised. Control, Control and more Control. Always more control. EVERY subject, EVERY problem and EVERY National issue. The answer lies in more control.

I think this is the very definition of a Government having moved to Tyranny.