Tag: kill switch
US Government considers internet 'kill-switch' cybersecurity bill
The US Government could get its very own internet 'kill-switch', should the proposed cybersecurity bill be passed. President Barack Obama would be granted emergency powers to shut off the country's internet connection, according to a bill soon to be…
Poll – Is Apple's jailbreak kill-switch patent a step too far?
Apple have filed a patent that will make iPhone jailbreakers and those scared of Orwellian surveillance systems quite uncomfortable. The "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device" patent describes plans that would give Apple an unprecedented…
Contract laptops to come with kill-switch
A growing trend among phone networks is to start offering netbooks and other low-cost laptops free to customers of their mobile broadband services. What happens, though, if the contract owner stops paying up? They lose kit worth hundreds of pounds that’s still in fully working order.
As a result, LM Ericsson AB, a Swedish company that produces laptop modems, has added a feature to its hardware that can remotely ‘kill’ a laptop, rending it useless. If carriers desire, then they can stop a customer who hasn’t paid up from using his or her machine.
It could also be used to secure lost or stolen machines – locking them down remotely. It’s a nice idea, but I’d be concerned about the risk of these devices malfunctioning, stopping legitimate customers from accessing services that they’ve paid for.
(via Yahoo!)
