SACRAMENTO, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- A state senator in California said he would introduce legislation to force companies to install a kill switch in smartphones.
The switch would activate if a smartphone is stolen, CNNMoney reported Saturday.
Phone companies, such as Apple, have gone along with the idea that is meant to cut down on thefts, but also on violent crimes that sometimes occur when a theft is occurring.
Telecommunication carriers, however, have balked at the idea. San Francisco attorney George Gascon, who is helping State Sen. Mark Leno write the legislation, said he had been working with Samsung on the concept, but that carriers had told Samsung they would not support the idea.
Meanwhile thefts involving cell phones have gone up 12 percent in Los Angeles this year and account for about half of the reported robberies in San Francisco, CNNMoney said.
