Qualcomm Develops Smartphone Kill Switch At The Chip Level

Chip manufacturer Qualcomm has developed a kill switch for smartphones that can lock the device at the chip level and will be applied by the software of the Czech anti-virus company AVG. The measure to protect consumers and their data in the event of a lost or stolen smartphone.

Safe Switch, as the technology is called, the device locks on the chip level. In addition, it protects users by encrypting data on the device. Any attempt to replace the SIM card, perform a factory reset or PIN to brute force makes the device temporarily unusable. After locking only the owner via a "master" PIN to unlock the device.

The technology will now be used in the applications of AVG and works on a select number of smartphones with Snapdragon chipsets. This week both companies demonstrated their solution. The cooperation should ensure that later this year an "end-to-end" business solution can be offered, says AVG .

AVG Demonstrates Privacy Glasses To Face

Early this month unveiled the Czech anti-virus company AVG privacy glasses designed to prevent face and now the virus fighter has a demonstration online put. The glasses are developed because it more and more places appear cameras and face recognition develops.

It involves, for example pictures made in public places and shared via social media. Someone might thus inadvertently on websites like Facebook may end up and be "tagged". In order to prevent this, the eyeglasses of a reflective material is provided. If someone has a picture with a flash makes the light is reflected and dazzles the camera, making the face of the wearer is not visible.

In the event no flash is used has the glasses on infrared light. That disturbs the sensor of the camera. "If you're worried about your privacy and want to be invisible, then you can ever buy this privacy glasses in the future," said Tony Anscombe AVG.Whether the virus fighter plans to bring the glasses on the market is not yet known.