





The law doesn't specify how the system locks the phone, nor what happens to the data on the phone when it's locked. Each manufacturer can come up with their own system.

The law follows pressure on phone makers from the state's law enforcement community to do something about rising incidents of smartphone theft, which has become one of the most prevalent street crimes in the state.

Apple has already responded and added a feature called "Activation Lock" into its iOS 7 operating system, which meets all requirements of California's kill switch law bar one - it doesn't come enabled in new phones. That will have to change.


"California has just put smartphone thieves on notice," California State Senator Mark Leno, the sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement. "Our efforts will effectively wipe out the incentive to steal smartphones and curb this crime of convenience, which is fueling street crime and violence within our communities."

The law makes California the second state in the U.S. to pass legislation aimed at reducing smartphone theft. Minnesota passed a law in June, but it doesn't require the kill switch to be enabled as default. Law enforcement says that's key because it will increase the chance that a new smartphone has the kill switch enabled, hopefully reducing its attractiveness to thieves.

