"Kill switches" by default, not by option

Smartphone makers have decided, gee, maybe we can install "kill switches" on the devices as a way to stem thefts.
The about-face by the wireless industry comes as pressure grows from lawmakers and the public. More than 1.6 million Americans had smartphones, tablets or other devices stolen in 2012, according to Consumer Reports. The theft of mobile devices is the nation's No. 1 property crime.

No option but an obvious fix.

The theory is "kill switches" will staunch the incentive to steal the devices by rendering them inoperable. "Kill switches" enjoy overwhelming support. A Creighton University survey found that 99 percent of those asked thought carriers should allow all consumers to disable stolen phones and 93 percent said that it shouldn't cost them extra to do so.
And there's the rub: the wireless industry has long complained that "kill switches" would be costly to install. That's why the industry is trying to get out ahead of a legislative mandate. Under the plan announced by major carriers, the new technology will be available on devices manufactured after July 2015. It will allow users an optional, reversible "kill switch" that would render the device inoperable and wipe out data stored on it. If the stolen device is recovered, the owner could return it to working condition and restore the data using a password.
That's a good first step.
But, and here's the problem, the industry wants an "opt in" system, meaning consumers would have to make the effort to download the needed software or activate factory installed software.
It might be cynical to suggest it, but there's no real upside from the manufacturers' perspective to stemming cell phone thefts since they know consumers will quickly show up at retailers and buy another device.
That has some legislators decrying as inadequate the wireless industry's new found concern.
"For the solution to have an impact on the street where the crimes occur, it must be ubiquitous," California state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Leno has authored a bill that would require smartphones to come with a kill switch by next year.
"It should come enabled when you purchase your phone and the retailer activates it. That is fundamental to communicating to potential perpetrators that their stealing these phones will be a worthless venture," he said.
"Kill switches" might be compared to seat belts. They must be there and they must be used. We don't allow drivers the right to "opt in" to having seat belts in their cars. Given the growth of crime directly related to mobile electronic devices we shouldn't put the burden on consumers by making them jump through more hoops to protect themselves and their property. It's hard enough already to get users to password protect their cell phones. The "kill switch" solution should be enabled by default.