Kill Switch, Engage
Last Wednesday, the state of Minnesota passed the nation's first "kill switch" law requiring Smartphones and tablets sold in the state to include remote shut-off features as a way of deterring theft. The law also prevents retailers from paying cash for used Smartphones and requires them to keep record of these transactions. "Merchants dealing in secondhand phones would have to document device information, require sellers to present identification and demand people attest that the phone they are turning in isn't stolen. In place of cash, sellers would receive a mailed check, electronic transfer or store credit." -- The Associated Press This law takes full effect in July 2015 but lawmakers are hoping the technology industry jumps on board to implement changes sooner. Similar bills in California, New York and Illinois are on their way to the vote, so we will see if these states jump on board as well.Kill Switch Bill & the Repair Industry
So how will this affect the iPhone repair industry and our growing Repair Community? Though only time will tell, we asked the Repair Community for their thoughts and opinions on the matter and you guys had some good ones!
...Good point.
Better safe than sorry!
Word. We don't expect manufacturers to be in any hurry to change hardware/software in order to follow the laws of a single state.
I bet they're all really excited for their trip back to 2006!
Whether these new laws will go into effect in other states as well, and whether they will make a significant impact on the iPhone repair industry remains to be seen. Personally I'm interested to see if the new legislation will actually lower the number of phone thefts in Minnesota, or if criminals will continue to do as they please. Luckily we have another year to know for sure how this law will fully affect the Repair Community. Thanks to everyone for participating and offering your thoughts and opinions on our Facebook page. If you missed out on the conversation feel free to comment below, we love reading and responding to input from the Repair Community! You can find us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Google+ too!