Smartphone theft wave in London: Allegations against Apple and Google

British parliamentarians have pushed Apple and Google to better protect smartphone users from theft. Existing anti-theft functions such as the activation blocks in iOS and Android are obviously inadequate, said politicians and police employees in a hearing about the British lower house’s science and technology committee this week.

In London, a smartphone theft wave causes uncertainty, last year alone, over 80,000 smartphones were stolen in the city in the city-80 percent of which were iPhones. The devices are usually torn from the road to the victims.

Activation lock does not seem to stop thieves

At the hearing, Apple was accused, among other things, to benefit from the thefts and to have little financial incentives to actively prevent this. A accusation that the Apple manager Gary Davis responsible for data protection and inquiries from law enforcement authorities rejected. The manufacturer has invested hundreds of million dollars in anti-theft functions and expanded them step by step. According to Davis, 9 out of 10 iPhone users have activated the “Where is?” Service, through which devices can be extinguished from a distance. Even the young theft protection, which is still integrated in iOS, would have already activated more than half of the customers.

The activation lock is intended to prevent thieves from setting up the iPhone, the access data or the Apple account of the owner are required for activation. There is also a similar system in Android. Neither the Apple nor the Google Manager could explain why this is not enough to deter thieves. Davis pointed out that Apple has now also extended the activation lock to individual parts in the devices in order to make the converting stolened iPhones unlucrative. Among other things, organized thieves use targeted phishing attacks to subsequently subsequently discons the access data and / or the device code.

No more iCloud: Imei blockade for stolen iPhones required

At the hearing, several parliamentarians urged Apple and Google to introduce a blockade based on the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), which clearly identifies each smartphone. Stolved devices should then no longer receive any access to iCloud and Google’s cloud, according to the claim. Both the Apple and Google manager evaluated the question of why such a lock has not yet been implemented. Davis pointed out that such a system would probably lead to new fraud attempts. An IMEI blockade “could be an obvious next step,” said the Apple manager.