IMEI Blocking Proposal Sparks Debate on Effective Phone Protection Measures
A heated debate erupted in the UK Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee as senior figures from Apple and Google clashed with police officials over the best way to tackle phone theft in the country. The Met Police, led by Chief Technology Officer Darren Scates, has been pushing for phone companies to use the unique identifying number, known as an IMEI, to block stolen devices from being used in the UK.
According to the Met Police, the problem of phone theft is becoming increasingly severe, with over 1,000 handsets seized in a crackdown in February. The police have also revealed that two-thirds of thefts in London now relate to mobile phones, with up to 70% of knife crime linked to robbery. This has led to concerns that phone theft is “significantly driving parts of our violence problem”.
However, Apple’s head of law enforcement requests, Gary Davis, expressed concerns that focusing solely on IMEI blocking might not address the root of the problem. He pointed out that stolen devices can still be used in other countries if a criminal bypasses the device’s security, and that phone owners already face extensive fraud attempts. Davis emphasized that Apple has implemented several new safety features, including Stolen Device Protection, to combat phone theft, and that the company is committed to working with the police to prevent further thefts.
The Met Police estimates that 75% of stolen phones are moved abroad, with 28% ending up in either China or Hong Kong. Police officers are urging phone providers to take action to prevent further thefts, including blocking lost or stolen devices from connecting to cloud services. However, Apple and Google argue that this requires an industry-wide approach and a global database of IMEI numbers.
Lib Dem MP Martin Wrigley accused the tech giants of lacking the will to take action, saying, “You could tomorrow stop phones that are on the IMEI blacklist connecting back to your services if you so wished, both of you, and you won’t do it.” Google’s software engineering manager, Simon Wingrove, replied that the issue requires a collaborative effort and that the company is continuing to work on improving security features, such as factory reset protection.
The debate also touched on the market for second-hand parts, with Apple concerned that stolen devices are being chopped up into component parts and sold on for repairs. Davis emphasized that Activation Lock, a feature that links certain iPhone or iPad components to a person’s Apple ID, is the company’s best protection against phone theft. However, Conservative MP Kit Malthouse accused Apple of dragging its feet on implementing more effective phone protection measures.
The issue has sparked a heated debate on the effectiveness of phone protection measures, with some MPs accusing the tech giants of not doing enough to prevent phone theft. The Met Police has estimated that there is a £50m-a-year trade in stolen phones in London, and that phone theft is a significant contributor to violence in the city. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen whether Apple and Google will implement more effective phone protection measures to tackle the problem of phone theft.
