SB-962 — introduced by Senator Leno — would require a ‘kill switch’ default on smartphones sold after July 1, 2015. The consumer, however, could opt out at time of purchase or at any time following. The bill is intended to reduce the incentive to steal smartphones and use or resell them.
The bill states that smartphone thefts now account for 30 to 40 percent of robberies in many major cities and that 1.6 million Americans were victimized for their smartphones in 2012. On June 17, the bill was re-referred to the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce.
