California State Sen. Mark Leno (D) introduced legislation...

California State Sen. Mark Leno (D) introduced legislation Friday that would require all smartphones and tablets sold in the state after Jan. 1, 2015, to include a “kill switch” that would make a smartphone inoperable if not in its rightful owner’s possession. Leno said in a news release that he was introducing the bill in response to what he called an “all-time high” of smartphone-related robberies in California. More than 50 percent of all robberies in San Francisco involve smartphone theft, while one-third of all robberies nationwide involve smartphone theft, Leno’s office said. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón praised the bill, saying in a statement that “the wireless industry must take action to end the victimization of its customers.” The bill would require wireless carriers and retailers to sell mobile devices with the kill switch enabled, but would allow a consumer to opt out of the technology after purchasing the device. Wireless carriers would be prohibited from “using wireless contracts to encourage consumers to disable the kill switch,” Leno’s office said. The California State Senate is set to consider SB 962 in late spring (http://bit.ly/1jkSRpD).