California has decided to legislate what the wireless network operators won't do voluntarily. California State Senator Mark Leno and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon are expected to introduce legislation today that will require all phones sold in the state to be equipped with an antitheft solution or kill switch. Gascon worked with New York lawmakers and Samsung to craft such a solution, but the carriers balked at the idea of implementing it. Leno and Gascon believe stronger measures are needed to deter cell phone thefts and to protect consumers. They want the law to go into effect January 1, 2015, and have proposed penalties of $2,500 for each phone sold in the state thereafter. "With robberies of smartphones reaching an all-time high, California cannot continue to stand by when a solution to the problem is readily available," said Leno. "Today we are officially stepping in and requiring the cellphone industry to take the necessary steps to curb violent smartphone thefts and protect the safety of the very consumers they rely upon to support their businesses."
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