Summary
Senior figures from Apple and Google are discussing with UK police the best ways to handle phone theft in the country. The police suggest using each phone's unique number, called an IMEI, to block stolen phones, but the companies have concerns about potential fraud. Both firms have introduced new features to prevent thefts, while there is debate over how effectively the tech industry can tackle the issue.
Key Facts
- The Metropolitan Police in the UK seized over 1,000 phones in a crackdown on theft in February.
- Two-thirds of thefts in London involve phones, and many are linked to violent crimes.
- An IMEI is a unique identifying number for each phone, used to block stolen devices.
- While UK phone networks block stolen devices using the IMEI, this doesn't stop use in other countries.
- Apple introduced Stolen Device Protection and Google added Theft Detection Lock to combat phone theft.
- Police estimate 75% of stolen phones are sent abroad, mainly to China and Hong Kong.
- Police are asking cloud providers to block lost or stolen devices from connecting online.
- MPs expressed concern that Apple and Google have not fully committed to tackling phone theft globally.
