CTIA Updates Industry Commitment on Stolen Smartphones

CTIA updated its Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment, responding to a request by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, it said Friday. At a June 11 meeting of the FCC Technological Advisory Council, Wheeler said he would ask CTIA to include in its voluntary industry code language that would require consumers to opt out of safeguards that come with their smartphones (see 1506110037). The revised document takes Wheeler’s request into account, CTIA said Friday. “New models of smartphones first manufactured after July 2016 for retail sale in the United States will, if technically necessary, make readily available to the authorized user an option that allows the authorized user to enable or disable the anti-theft solution at any time that the smartphone is connected and is in the authorized user’s possession,” the revised commitment said. The revised commitment “is the latest example of how America’s wireless industry takes on tough issues and works together to develop the best solutions for their customers that balances the needs of users while still providing the flexibility for companies to innovate,” CTIA President Meredith Baker said in a news release. “It’s clear that these initiatives are working since smartphone thefts have declined in cities across the country.” CTIA said it also developed a list of apps “to locate, erase and/or lock, many of which are free, for the various operating systems” and is offering “step-by-step video instructions on how to set up a PIN/password on various mobile devices.” “CTIA and its members understand that smart-device theft remains a serious problem," Wheeler said in a statement. "I am hopeful that this new voluntary commitment will make a meaningful difference for consumer safety." Apple, Assurant, Asurion, AT&T, BlackBerry, Google, HTC America, Huawei Device USA, LGE Mobile Research U.S.A., Microsoft, Motorola Mobility, Samsung Electronics America, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular, Verizon and ZTE USA signed off on the anti-theft commitment.