In an effort to lower the number of smartphone thefts, California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill Monday that will require phones sold in the state to have "kill switches" that can remotely make the device inoperable.
It is the first law of its kind in the country, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Starting in January 2015, all smartphones must have the feature enabled under their default settings, and consumers will have to go in and turn it off if they so desire.
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