US carriers agree to build stolen phone database

[503ducati]

http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/u...and-blacklist/

Currently, Verizon Communications Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. block phones that are reported stolen from being reactivated. AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA don't. All four have agreed to be part of the new database.

"New technologies create new risks," said Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, which negotiated the database proposal. "We wanted to find a way to reduce the value of stolen smartphones."

Cellphone theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S., law-enforcement officials nationwide say. The deal between the FCC and the wireless carriers is partly the result of pressure from frustrated police chiefs. The Major Cities Chiefs Association, an affiliation of 70 police chiefs from large cities across the U.S. and Canada, published a resolution in February calling on the FCC to require telecom companies to implement technology to disable stolen devices.

Officials from AT&T and T-Mobile said the carriers are working on technologies to block reuse of stolen phones on their networks. "We are working toward an industrywide solution to address the complexity of blocking stolen devices from being activated on ours or another network with a new SIM card," T-Mobile said in a statement. "This is not a simple problem to solve."

According to an FCC official, the SIM-card problem will likely be solved by the carriers' making an additional check to ensure that the devices themselves are authorized to work on the network, not just the SIM card.

A Sprint official voiced support for the national database plan. An official from Verizon declined to comment late Monday.

[n2jtx]

I can see this being used to keep competitors phones off of each others networks. Imagine if AT&T decides to blacklist phones so that T-Mobile will not register them. As long as the database is truly restricted to devices reported and verified stolen that is good. Otherwise AT&T might just decide to load all those now unlocked off-contract iPhones into the database and keep other carriers from activating them.

[Liquidxt]

I wonder if this will stop Cricket, MetroPCS, and Straighttalk from using those phones.

[503ducati]

U.S. Wireless Industry Announces Steps to Help Deter Smartphone Thefts and Protect Consumer Data

http://www.ctia.org/media/press/body.cfm/prid/2170


April 10, 2012

Washington, D.C. – CTIA-The Wireless Association®, together with participating wireless companies, today announced they worked with the federal government and law enforcement to develop four steps to help deter smartphone thefts and protect consumer data. These four voluntary industry commitments by CTIA and our participating members will effectively address this issue while continuing to evolve as new wireless products and services become available.


The four steps are:

1. Implement databases to prevent reactivation of stolen smartphones. Wireless providers will work to initiate, implement and deploy database solutions, using unique smartphone identifying numbers, designed to prevent smartphones reported by their customers as stolen from being activated and/or provided service on their own networks. Using unique GSM smartphone identifying numbers, GSM providers will develop and deploy a database designed to prevent GSM smartphones reported as stolen from being activated or provided service. By October 31, 2012, U.S. GSM providers will implement this database so that stolen GSM smartphones will not work on any U.S. GSM network. In addition, U.S. providers will create a common database for LTE smartphones designed to prevent smartphones that are reported stolen by consumers from being activated or provided service on any LTE network in the U.S. and on appropriate international LTE stolen mobile smartphone databases. This database will be completed by November 30, 2013.

2(A). Notify consumers of features to secure/lock smartphones with passwords. By April 30, 2013, smartphone makers will implement a system to notify/inform users via the new smartphones upon activation or soon after of its capability of being locked and secured from unauthorized access by setting a password.

2(B). Educate consumers about features to secure/lock smartphones with passwords. By December 31, 2012, smartphone makers will include information on how to secure/lock new smartphones in-box and/or through online “Quick Start” or user guides.

3. Educate consumers about applications to remotely lock/locate/erase data from smartphones. Wireless providers will inform consumers, using communications including email or text messages, about the existence of – and access to – applications that can lock/locate/erase data from smartphones. Providers will also educate consumers on how to access these applications, including those that are easy-to-find and preloaded onto smartphones. Substantial progress on this will be made by December 31, 2012; it will be completed by April 30, 2013.

4. Educate consumers about smartphone theft, protections and preventative measures. By July 1, 2012, the wireless industry will launch an education campaign for consumers on the safe use of smartphones and highlight the solutions one through three by using a range of resources, including a public service announcement and online tools such as websites and social media.

“CTIA and its members have always been strong advocates for the safety and protection of America’s wireless users. Today’s announcement is yet another example of our industry’s continued dedication to advance public safety and enhance the security and protection of our customers. By working closely with law enforcement, these four steps will help deter smartphone theft and keep America’s wireless users safe,” said Steve Largent, President and CEO, CTIA-The Wireless Association.

Beginning June 30, 2012, CTIA will publish quarterly updates on its website and submit a copy to the Federal Communications Commission, detailing progress, benchmarking milestones and indicating completion by industry and provider of the following deliverables: implementation of databases, information about applications to locate/lock/erase data from smartphones and efforts to educate consumers about smartphone theft, protections and preventative measures.

For more information, please visit: www.ctia.org
###

CTIA-The Wireless Association® (www.ctia.org) is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products. CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry’s voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry’s leading wireless tradeshows. CTIA was founded in 1984 and is based in Washington, D.C.

[every1nosme]

I wonder if the carriers themselves will use this to stop people from using phones that are still under remaining contracts from being used on other carriers. Like when at$t customers skip out on their contract and don't pay the etf and activate on tmo or another gsm carrier. Will they put that phone on the list essentially suggesting it was stolen from the original carrier since there is a remaining balance on the account? Sprint and vzw do this now internally but the phone could still be used on metro, etc. And don't gsm carriers have the means to do this now through the imei number?

Sent from my DROID3 using HowardForums

[Sam73065]

I wonder if the carriers themselves will use this to stop people from using phones that are still under remaining contracts from being used on other carriers. Like when at$t customers skip out on their contract and don't pay the etf and activate on tmo or another gsm carrier. Will they put that phone on the list essentially suggesting it was stolen from the original carrier since there is a remaining balance on the account? Sprint and vzw do this now internally but the phone could still be used on metro, etc. And don't gsm carriers have the means to do this now through the imei number?

Sent from my DROID3 using HowardForums

Will they require proof that the phone is stolen, at a minimum that a police report has been filed? Or will they just blacklist a phone just because they can and then the customer has to prove the phone isn't stolen?

[timmyh318]

I wonder if the carriers themselves will use this to stop people from using phones that are still under remaining contracts from being used on other carriers. Like when at$t customers skip out on their contract and don't pay the etf and activate on tmo or another gsm carrier. Will they put that phone on the list essentially suggesting it was stolen from the original carrier since there is a remaining balance on the account? Sprint and vzw do this now internally but the phone could still be used on metro, etc. And don't gsm carriers have the means to do this now through the imei number?

Sent from my DROID3 using HowardForums

they do but gsm carriers dont enforce it. i brought up what you said in another post and someone said i had bad grammer and that it never happens. it happens daily and companies lose alot of money on it. on att or t mobile nothing is stopping a person from ordering a phone or 2 skipping out on the bill and either selling the gsm phone for a decent profit, because gsm phone retain there value, or activating it on a carrier like h20 or simple mobile. same with a stolen gsm phone. it can be activated without problems on a gsm network. i find that wrong.

Sent from my SPH-D600 using HowardForums

[bibbin]

I'm glad you pointed this out. Going through the exact same thing with Sprint right now. I never reported devices stolen yet Sprint has blacklisted them and says they're stolen. They refuse to tell me when this report was made and by whom. I don't owe them any money and have purchase receipts.

[fonezfonz]

Thanks to mod Ducati for the VERY INFORMATIVE post on the details, especially regarding the fact that it is specfically targetted at smartphones and even future gsm units will be affected and the deadlines on what will happen.

This will make the phone flashing/unlocking business change. There will most definitely be an increase in rewriting of esns in order to get otherwise unusable phones onto the networks.I'm sure there will be cults of outlaw hackers who will find ways around the to be implemented security measures. There are already guys on ebay offering "flashing " of Sprint phones to Boost cdma which can't be put on without rewriting the esn.

If the system works as planned, it may be a good thing. But if it is abused by the carriers, it could be a potential nightmare (legitimate people being victimized and seeing their $600 handsets if bought unsubsidized reduced to a paperweight at the touch of a button...)


I'm guessing current smartphones and most feature phones (an ever shrinking market) will not be part of this for now.



If someone puts a gun to your face to take your smartphone or pick pockets you, that's one thing, but I'm betting at least a large minority of stolen cell phones happen because of people not being on guard.

The basic thing is that you can't protect people from their own carelessness and even outright stupidity sometimes , which is probably a big factor in this mess being created. I'm sure if most people were more aware to begin with or paid more attention to their phone/valuables in general , it would be less likely to be such a huge problem. Just like how the Fed is talking about banning all mobile device usage while driving because some stupid people text while driving, have accidents and die. It's stupid to die because of stupidity.



As a pro byoder, I'm against it but if the die is cast, we just have to hunker down and see what happens...

[efparri]

It is not just the person engaged in distracted driving who is placed in jeopardy. Passengers in the distracted driver's car, persons in oncoming cars, cars ahead of and behind the distracted driver and cars beside or crossing in front of that distracted driver are placed at risk.

[503ducati]

Let's keep this on the Thread Topic not hands free laws.

[gotanmp3]

Currently, Verizon Communications Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. block phones that are reported stolen from being reactivated. AT&T Inc. and Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA don't. All four have agreed to be part of the new database.

A thief has a 50/50 chance of stealing a phone that may be blocked by the carrier, but I've never once heard of a thief asking their victim what carrier their phone is before they steal it. This also does absolutely nothing to stop phones for being sold for highly-in-demand replacement touchscreens.

As mentioned previously, besides blocking stolen/lost phones, there is something Sprint and Verizon also do that T-Mobile and AT&T do not: They use their blacklist to "brick" phones attached to a disconnected account with an outstanding balance. They also use their ESN/MEID database prevent activation of each others' respective phones, essentially requiring the ability to alter a phone's serial number for it to ever truly be "unlocked".

As it's often the case, this is yet another attempt by lawmakers to fix a problem they don't understand in an incredibly incorrect way. Anti-theft security should be implemented on the hardware level on phones themselves - then it won't matter if a thief tries to take a phone out of the country or flash it to a carrier that doesn't participate in the blacklist.