AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-mobile are teeming up with the US Government to create a database of stolen phones.
So these can't use voice and data services on those devices.
We'll be able to take highly price stolen informants in turn to worthless pieces of plastic.
Here's how the database will work.
If the number is identified stolen then the carrier will recognize when the phone call is made, that the number is invalid and will prevent the call from being made.
This news comes too late for San Francisco resident (Boonse?) Dickenson who had her iPhone stolen two years ago.
When 80% on street crimes are about iPhones or laptops like he need to put on a long place like this.
San Francisco police caught the thief but never recovered Dickenson's phone.
Not only took away my sense of security because this guy came up to me and talk to me but I did lose one of...
The only tech...
Piece of technology that I actually really like.
Expert says this database is a win for consumers but you still need to take precautions.
Thieves can still access your phones data if it's not password protected.
Well if you have an iPhone or smartphone with a lot of photos, with a lot of data loaded on it, this doesn't prevent anybody from actually getting into your phone.
The four largest carriers are expected to create individual databases in the next 6 months.
BICC will emerge them into a central database over the next year.
In San Francisco I'm Kara Tsuboi CNET.com for CBS news.
