--- title: How Smartphone Kill-Switch Laws Affect Data Security description: In an effort to curb rising mobile phone theft, lawmakers in several states have passed or proposed new rules that require devices to have remote disabling capabilities. These “kill switches” render a stolen or lost phone useless to anyone except its owner. That means protecting sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/how-smartphone-kill-switch-laws-affect-data-security/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # How Smartphone Kill-Switch Laws Affect Data Security In an effort to curb rising mobile phone theft, lawmakers in several states have passed or proposed new rules that require devices to have remote disabling capabilities. These “kill switches” render a stolen or lost phone useless to anyone except its owner. That means protecting sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. [Learn More](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/) [![Image 2: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/ "Acronis Editorial Team") [Acronis Editorial Team](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/) 1 min read Last updated 26 January 2015 In an effort to curb rising mobile phone theft, lawmakers in several states have passed or proposed new rules that require devices to have remote disabling capabilities. These “kill switches” render a stolen or lost phone useless to anyone except its owner. That means protecting sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. The legislation, which passed in Minnesota and continues to be debated in California, comes as smartphone theft becomes a growing concern. Americans had 3.1 million smartphones stolen in 2013, up from 1.6 million in 2012, according to Consumer Reports. For owners, the data on the phone is often more important than the device itself. Whether it’s personal photos or sensitive [company information](http://subzeroblog.acronis.com/posts/why-byod-isnt-blame-compromised-data) that’s lost, the repercussions can be nasty. **How a switch works** Kill switches exist in many types of technology. At their most basic level, they’re a single command or button that can shut down a system almost immediately. “Hard” kill switches do permanent damage—severing wires, for instance—while “soft” ones are reversible. The cell phone laws call for the latter, meaning that if a phone is recovered, its owner could salvage data that previously was in jeopardy. **Saving face with a switch** For employees who increasingly work on-the-go, it’s not unheard of to leave a company Blackberry on the subway. If the phone contains financial information, clientele or trade secrets, loss of that data could damage the company’s goodwill, and ultimately, the bottom line. “If we end up on the front of the Fresno Bee because an attorney left his phone at the bar…the damage to your reputation could literally be millions of dollars,” CIO Darin Adcock at California-based law firm Dowling Aaron, told CIO.com. The Minnesota and California laws call for all devices sold after July 1, 2015 to have the switch turned on by default. _h/t: Chief Mobility Officer_ _[Image via CanStock]_ [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png) Acronis Editorial Team Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/disasters-are-inevitable-data-loss-doesnt-have-be-8-noble-truths/) [Disasters Are Inevitable; Data Loss Doesn’t Have To Be: 8 Noble Truths](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/disasters-are-inevitable-data-loss-doesnt-have-be-8-noble-truths/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/data-creation-all-time-high-world-cup-2014-weekly-roundup/) [Data Creation All-Time High for World Cup 2014: Weekly Roundup](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/data-creation-all-time-high-world-cup-2014-weekly-roundup/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. 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