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posted by Woods on Friday April 25 2014, @02:34PM   Printer-friendly
from the my-favorite-kind-of-switch dept.

The California Senate on Thursday voted down a state measure that would require smarter anti-theft security on smartphones. The bill, introduced by State Senator Mark Leno and sponsored by George Gascon, San Francisco's district attorney, would have required a so-called kill switch which would render a smartphone useless after it was stolen on all smartphones sold in California. The proposal needed 21 votes to pass in the 40-member chamber. After debate on Thursday morning at the Capitol, in Sacramento, it fell two votes short of passing, with a final count of 19 to 17 in favor.

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 25 2014, @04:37PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 25 2014, @04:37PM (#36166)

    I disagree. Different AC here. If people want to spend more money for "smarter", more NSA-friendly smartphones, then let them. But people should also be able to choose cheaper, less NSA-friendly smartphones that have no mandated kill switch if they want. I don't want any kill switch. If the argument is simply "it's cheaper to do X than Y", then we should outlaw many, many things, because they can just be stolen, and that creates more work for cops, etc., which I don't think is a reasonable argument. I'd rather have the freedom to choose. The economic advantages of requiring by law this feature and outlawing all other phones are very debatable, and should not be the sole reason to outlaw phones without a kill switch.

  • (Score: 1) by timbim on Friday April 25 2014, @06:25PM

    by timbim (907) on Friday April 25 2014, @06:25PM (#36241)

    Have you ever had your smart phone stolen?

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by clone141166 on Friday April 25 2014, @07:00PM

      by clone141166 (59) on Friday April 25 2014, @07:00PM (#36260)

      Have you ever had your freedom stolen?

      • (Score: 2) by etherscythe on Saturday April 26 2014, @08:16PM

        by etherscythe (937) on Saturday April 26 2014, @08:16PM (#36695) Journal

        As an American, I feel like my freedom has been stolen under Eminent Domain, and rented back to me through the "generosity" of our corporate overlords, and is subject to cancellation at any time.

        But then, I'm one of those crazy people that doesn't have an addiction to "reality" TV or MMO video games. Your mileage may vary.

        --
        "Fake News: anything reported outside of my own personally chosen echo chamber"
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 26 2014, @07:03AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 26 2014, @07:03AM (#36518)

      What would that have to do with anything?

      • (Score: 1) by timbim on Sunday April 27 2014, @04:55PM

        by timbim (907) on Sunday April 27 2014, @04:55PM (#36900)

        It's devastating to know that all your personal information is in the hands of a stranger. Email, photos, Dropbox. I wanted a kill switch when that happened.

  • (Score: 2) by Horse With Stripes on Friday April 25 2014, @07:06PM

    by Horse With Stripes (577) on Friday April 25 2014, @07:06PM (#36266)
    It's not about saving money, and the NSA can (and does) already track you by your phone. Rather than re-post it, this addresses parts of your post [soylentnews.org].
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 04 2014, @01:29PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 04 2014, @01:29PM (#101677)

    Y5hwb1 http://www.qs3pe5zgdxc9iovktapt2dbyppkmkqfz.com/ [qs3pe5zgdxc9iovktapt2dbyppkmkqfz.com]