MONDAY, AUGUST 18 2014 - AUGUST 24, 2014
riversideindependent.com
Mandatory “kill-switches” for smartphones to prevent theft? Bill awaits Governor Jerry Brown's signature by jennifer schlueter With our smartphones being worth up to $700, $800 or even more, they have become favorable objects for thieves. Black market resales for stolen phones are lucrative for robbers, especially overseas, where American smartphones are more expensive. According to Consumer Reports, smartphone thefts in the US have almost doubled from 2012 to 2013 making them the leading property crime. Major cities in California are highly affected by this epidemic. In San Francisco and Oakland, cellphones were a target in 65 percent or rather 75 percent of all robberies in 2013, estimates the San Francisco city district attorney’s office. Oakland police data reveals that in the first half of this year over 80 percent of armed robberies involved mobile devices. Los Angeles has seen a 12% increase in cellphone thefts last year, reports NBC. To fight these alarming numbers, State Sen. Mark Leno introduced a bill that would require smartphone manufacturers to install a “kill-switch” into
their new, California-sold devices, which would make them inoperable if they fall into the wrong hands. Rightful owners would be able to lock their phones with antitheft software. According to CNBC, the bill exempts “smartphone models introduced before Jan. 1, 2015, that could not ‘reasonably be re-engineered’ to incorporate the anti-theft technology” and excludes tablets. Should the bill become law, “manufacturers will have until July 1, 2015, to incorporate the theft deterrent, which users would be asked to turn on when they set up their new devices,” CNBC states. “Our goal is to swiftly take the wind out of the sails of thieves who have made the theft of smartphones one of the most prevalent street crimes in California’s biggest cities,” Leno’s statement reads. The CTIA, a trade association representing the wireless telecommunication industry, opposed the bill according to a statement by their vice president of external and state affairs, Jamie Hastings. “We
-Photo by Jennifer Schlueter
urge the Governor to not sign this bill, since uniformity in the wireless industry created tremendous benefits for wireless consumers, including lower costs and phenomenal innovation,” said he. “State by state technology mandates, such as this one, stifle those benefits and are detrimental to wireless consumers.” However, the bill’s spon-
Robin Williams, circa 1990, at Santa Barbara’s Biltmore Hotel at a special event honoring his comedic mentor Jonathan Winters. –Photo by Terry Miller
the accident was driving north on Magnolia, Riverside police stated in a news release. Family members had told the paper that Sutherland was on life support until many hours later when they decided to take
Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams apparently took his own life at his Northern California home Monday, law enforcement officials said. Williams was 63. Officials have confirmed that Mr. Williams hanged himself in his home Monday. “He has been battling severe depression of late,” publicist Mara Buxbaum told media outlets. “This is a tragic and sudden loss. The family respectfully asks for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time.” Coroner investigators suspect “the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia,” according
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by Vickie Vértiz The Press Enterprise identified the hit-and-run victim as 27 year-old D’Andre Sutherland, who was riding near the Magnolia Avenue and Beechwood Place intersection when he was injured. The vehicle to look for is a late-model, silver or beige sport utility vehicle, which at the time of
The Recording Academy remembers Robin Williams By Terry Miller
Bicyclist succumbs to hit-and-run injuries and is honored with ghost bike A Riverside man was taken off life support at Riverside Community Hospital after being struck by a late-model silver or beige sport utility vehicle near Riverside City College about 2 a.m. on Sunday, August 10. The vehicle did not stop and the driver has not been found.
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