DOJ urges telcos to adopt kill switch technology

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Justice (DOJ) has called on telecommunications companies to adopt the “kill-switch” feature to protect cellular phone owners and subscribers.

Kill-switch is a software lock that can be activated remotely when a phone is lost or stolen. The owner can wipe all the data, shut down the phone and make it inaccessible once it has been stolen.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima issued the call, citing pilot confirmation project in London and two major cities in the US where the rate of cellphone theft decreased following the installation of kill-switches.

The DOJ’s Cybercrime Office said it is a common sense solution to a specific type of crime.

“Commuters and consumers who work hard and save for their phones only to be victimized by criminals will benefit from a small effort from our telcos,” Assistant Secretary Geronimo Sy, head of Cybercrime Office said.

“We do not need legislation to implement this. It is the responsibility of telcos as public utilities to prevent crimes and ensure that technology is used to address peace and order issues,” de Lima said.

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