Committee asks Met Police, Google, Samsung and Apple: can we design out phone theft?
In a one-off evidence session, the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee will explore the growing issue of mobile phone theft, and what technological solutions can be used to disincentivise it.
In the first panel, the cross-party committee will question the Metropolitan Police Service. More phones are stolen in London than in any other European city, affecting tens of thousands of people each year. MPs will question the police about the Met’s requests for action from tech companies and the police’s use of data and “Find my” technology.
Meeting details
Members will then talk to industry experts at the companies Trustonic and S-RM about the range of tech solutions, whether mobile phone manufacturers are properly addressing the problem and how the public can be better protected.
In the final panel, MPs will quiz Apple, Google and Samsung. The committee will explore whether the companies are doing enough to disincentivise theft; why phones are used after being stolen, despite on-device security; the use of cloud services on stolen phones; and the financial impact of phone theft on manufacturers.