The Federal Communications Commission’s head Tom Wheeler has issued a challenge to the smartphone industry: he wants them to roll out a range of theft prevention features across the board at “no cost to the consumer”.
In a statement issued yesterday, Wheeler explained that he wants the industry to make services such as remote-locking, remote-data-wiping and the option to dial 911 from any lockscreen the norm. His statement also suggests that these features should be “opt-out” rather than “opt-in”, so that they’re “activated on all mobile phones by default and require consumers to take affirmative steps to disable them”
The suggestion comes from recommendations made by the Federal Communication Commission’s Technical Advisory Committee. At this stage it’s not a regulation, so there’s no need for manufacturers to respond, but the FCC sees it as a way to encourage adoption of such features. It would certainly be a positive step in helping make our mobile devices more secure.
Picture: AP