San Francisco, CA - April 4, 2014 - San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today released the following statement on the news that Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphones sold by Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular will come with the Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock anti-theft solutions installed and that the features can be activated for free:
“The decision by Samsung, Verizon and U.S. Cellular to provide Samsung’s Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock features on Galaxy S5 smartphones and to allow those features to be activated for free is a step forward in our effort to ensure the industry makes effective theft deterrents available on every smartphone sold in America. While we are concerned that consumers will need to opt in to the system, thereby limiting the ubiquity and effectiveness of the solution, the fact that Samsung and these carriers have agreed to work together to make Find My Mobile and Reactivation Lock available sends a strong message that all participants in this industry can indeed work together to make their customers safer. More work needs to be done to ensure that these solutions come standard on every device, but these companies have done the right thing by responding to our call for action. No family should lose a mother, a father, a son or a daughter for their phone. Manufacturers and carriers need to put public safety before corporate profits and stop this violent epidemic, which has put millions of smartphone users at risk.”
Launched last year, the Secure Our Smartphone (S.O.S.) Initiative is an international coalition of prosecutors, police chiefs, state and city comptrollers, and public safety activists co-chaired by Attorney General Schneiderman, San Francisco District Attorney Gascón and London Mayor Boris Johnson. Members of the initiative are committed to pressing the industry to find an effective way to combat the rise of often violent robberies involving smartphones.
For more information on efforts by Attorney General Schneiderman, District Attorney Gascón and Mayor Johnson to combat “Apple Picking,” visit the San Francisco District Attorney’s website, the New York State Attorney General’s website or the London Mayor's website.