patrick.net

http://www.ZQV0hbK6P6c

WTF? Camp Tuckahoe? Bart Simpson much?

http://www.MA2KmJMKFrQ

This is not about Big Brother, it is about deterring theft, a huge problem. The proposal is gladly embraced by many expensive and easy to swipe device owners.

Exactly. This is not some tin foil hat conspiracy theory. Think about all the crap people store on their phones. If it got stolen, wouldn't it be nice to have the option for all of that personal data to go buy-bye?

This is about deterring cellphone thefts:
A surge in smartphone and tablet thefts has a ready solution, but it's not one that most major wireless carriers seem willing to pursue. That's why Sacramento should consider a law requiring that the devices come equipped with a "kill switch" to render them useless when stolen.
One in 3 robberies in the country involves smartphones, tablets or e-readers, according to the Federal Communications Commission. In San Francisco, the figure is two-thirds of such crimes and the total is 75 percent in Oakland as thieves wrestle the devices out the hands of owners on sidewalks and buses. That's why San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón has made kill switches a priority and enlisted state Sen. Mark Leno, a San Francisco Democrat, to introduce a measure to deal with the rising problem.