Samsung to allegedly release kill switch to improve mobile security and prevent device theft as soon as July

Smartphone theft is on the rise, and as these devices get more and more expensive it gets less and less easy to replace them. On top of that there is the risk of sensitive personal information going into the wrong hands (i.e. a thief). Samsung and other manufacturers recently met with New York Attorney General Erich Schneiderman to discuss the future of smartphone security and how to prevent device theft, reportedly working on a kill switch of sorts. Now, it looks like Samsung will be releasing this new feature as soon as July.

The kill switch goes a step further than LoJack for mobile phones, not only allowing the owner to remotely wipe their device, but also essentially brick the phone, rendering it unusable to thieves. With Samsung having such a large foothold in the smartphone industry thanks to the Galaxy S 4, this is an opportunity for them to blaze new trails in smartphone security, prompting other manufacturers to follow suit.

On top of the user being able to remotely disable their phone, the new system would also allow carriers and possibly the government to carry out these tasks as well. This is all rumor, of course, as Samsung has yet to make an official announcement regarding the kill switch. Let us know in the comments if this is a welcome feature to the smartphone market, or if it may be a bit too invasive.