I’m pleased to say that the latest version of the GSMA SG.24 Anti-Theft Device Feature Requirements has been published. Many members of the Device Security Group I chair at the GSMA have been personally committed to trying to reduce the problem of mobile theft over many years. This represents just one small part of these continued efforts.

There is no magic solution to the problem of mobile theft as I’ve discussed many times (some listed below). The pragmatic approach we’ve taken is to openly discuss this work with all the interested parties including OS vendors such as Apple, Google and Microsoft as well as to reach out to Police and government particularly in the US and the UK where the subject has been of high interest. We’ve taken their feedback and incorporated it into the work. Everyone has a part to play in reducing theft of mobile devices, not least the owner of the device itself.

Some extra resources:

• Some advice on theft in phones from the UK Home Office is listed here.
• Our mobile security leaflet can be downloaded (and re-printed and distributed if you want).
• If you fancy a more detailed read on some of these topics, check out my short book from 2013, Mobile Security: A Guide for Users

Some previous blogs on mobile theft:

• (2011) Mobile Phone Theft: An unsolvable problem?
• (2012) Combating phone theft – US takes a step forward but is it enough?
• (2012) “Apple does not have a process to track or flag lost or stolen product”
• (2013) The phone theft debate continues…
• (2013) Shiny Expensive Things: The Global Problem of Mobile Phone Theft