California smartphone ‘kill switch’ bill fails
Associated Press |
The legislation by Sen.
Leno's legislation, SB962, fell two votes shy of a majority in the 40-member house. It would have required companies to manufacture smartphones with technology that would make them inoperable when not in the owner's possession.
The wireless industry prefers a voluntary approach that allows consumers to opt-in if they choose, such as downloading free apps that protect the devices and their information if they are stolen. But Leno said the technology must be mandatory to act as a deterrent. His bill would put the burden on manufacturers rather than consumers, who would have to opt out of the protections at the time of purchase.
"This is about a technological deterrence," Leno said. "We need to get into the minds of those who have shifted their activities to these new crimes that it's not worth it."
He also said the industry benefits financially from the high rate of smartphone thefts. He told his colleagues before the
Deterring the thefts, Leno said, will affect smartphone companies' bottom lines.
A spokeswoman for
A study by
Sen.
Leno said consumers would retain the right to opt out of the shut-down technology. He also said it would be up to the manufacturers to decide what kind of solution worked best for their products and said that could be new software or hardware.
Before the bill failed on a 19-17 vote, he agreed to make two amendments: The legislation would apply only to smartphones, not tablets, and the start date would be pushed back to
Despite the rejection, Leno said he will consider bringing it back for a floor vote before the
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