New York Wants to Know Why Carriers Nixed Kill Switch
Problems with a kill switch
Who really controls it? Is it only accessible by the end-user? How is transfer of control of the kill switch done when phones are sold or given to 3rd or 4th parties. What happens when couples split up and get mad and want to kill the other one's phone? I wouldn't want a remote kill switch on my tv or computer or anything else if I owned. What if the site hosting the kill switch gets hacked and then large amounts of devices are killed? I have no problems with people optionally installing this software on their own but built-in as part of the firmware really worries me about it.
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Yup. Also, the fact that the police are concerned about this makes my blood boil.
If cell phone crime accounts for 15% of overall crime rates, they should be throwing a party because guess what? it doesn't really matter. We've become so decadent that crime now equates to simply inconveniencing each other.
If cell phone crime accounts for 15% of overall crime rates, they should be throwing a party because guess what? it doesn't really matter. We've become so decadent that crime now equates to simply inconveniencing each other.
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The part about couples breaking up using the kill switch to screw each other over is important...
When I worked for at&t I personally dealt with literally hundreds of customers who wanted to suspend a phone on their account, some line other than their own, simply out of spite....9 times out of 10 it was done by couples breaking up......purely out of spite and for no other reason.....I would explain 'while the phone is suspended, you will still be responsible for all charges...' and they would say 'that is fine....I just want to make him/her suffer'.....
One time a woman called in asking why her phone wouldn't work, I responded 'the line has been suspended' and immediately she responded 'oh that bastard, he did this didn't he?' and hung...
(continues)
When I worked for at&t I personally dealt with literally hundreds of customers who wanted to suspend a phone on their account, some line other than their own, simply out of spite....9 times out of 10 it was done by couples breaking up......purely out of spite and for no other reason.....I would explain 'while the phone is suspended, you will still be responsible for all charges...' and they would say 'that is fine....I just want to make him/her suffer'.....
One time a woman called in asking why her phone wouldn't work, I responded 'the line has been suspended' and immediately she responded 'oh that bastard, he did this didn't he?' and hung...
(continues)
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This forum is closed.
