Microsoft and Google will incorporate a kill switch into the next version of Windows-based and Android smartphones. The feature, which is already featured on Apple’s iPhone 5, allows users to remotely wipe all data and information on the device in the event of theft.
At a press conference yesterday, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón announced they had reached agreements with both companies to include the feature in the next iteration of their respective operating systems.
Google’s operating system, Android, runs on more than half of all smartphones used in the United States. Microsoft’s operating system is on all Nokia smartphones. Once the feature is deployed, about 97 percent of all smartphones in the US, including iPhones, will have kill switches.
Of course, that statistic could change based on adoption of Amazon’s new Fire Phone. We’re waiting for a response from Amazon about whether Fire includes the feature.
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Microsoft, Google Yield to Pressure to Improve Phone Security
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