Smartphone Thefts: Company Profits vs. Consumer Safety

In New York City, smartphone theft is the fastest-growing street crime.  Last year, twenty percent of all street crimes involved smartphones or tablets.  (I don’t own either one of those newfangled contraptions, so I have no dog in this fight.)

Most of these robberies could be prevented if the manufacturers were willing to use an already-existing anti-theft technology.  But there’s no profit in doing that, so why bother with the extra expense?  And besides, when somebody’s smartphone is stolen, the victim has to go out and buy a new one.  Ka-Ching!

Thirty-one state attorneys general — led by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman — have started the Secure Our Smartphones initiative.  New York City’s Mayor-elect, Bill de Blasio, and the mayor of London, have also joined this initiative.

The group has sent a letter to executives at Google/Motorola, Microsoft and Samsung.  Apple didn’t receive the letter because they’ve been cooperating with this effort.

The letter states that South Korea has a Kill Switch that allows stolen smartphones to be permanently disabled, and this “raises the questions as to what the manufacturers are capable of doing if one country has already mandated a more robust response.”

The letter says some of these smartphone security features were tested last July, and “while some of these new anti-theft security features are encouraging, the response from manufacturers needs to be more robust.”

Schneiderman said:

“Manufacturers and carriers need to put the public safety before corporate profits and stop this violent epidemic.”

According to last night’s newscast, the thirty-one attorneys general are considering legal action if the smartphone manufacturers don’t cooperate.

Rent Out a Spare Room in Your Apartment, Go to Prison

Liberals and Conservatives should be equally outraged by this.  Thousands of New York City residents are making a bit of extra cash by renting out a spare room for tourists.  And this practice is illegal.  New York State has a law prohibiting sublets for less than thirty days.  That’s the technicality, anyway.  More importantly, these residents are jeopardizing the hotel industry’s profits. 

Airbnb.com is a website that connects tourists with local residents who are offering a spare room in their homes.  The site operates in 35,000 communities around the world and has 500,000 listings.  Other similar websites include Flipkey.com and Housetrip.com.

The monthly rent in NYC averages about $3,000 — it’s often twice that much — so this little extra income is sometimes the only way for people to keep paying the rent in America’s most expensive city.  Hotel rooms cost an average of $275 a night; a spare room in someone’s apartment can be as low as $35 a night.  So this is a win win for travelers and local residents.

A Brooklyn resident said:

“I use Airbnb to supplement my income, and it's allowed me to go back to school.  And besides, I've met so many wonderful people from France, Germany, Spain, South Africa, Brazil, the Philippines.”

Travel author Pauline Frommer said:

“New York hotel prices are truly outrageous.  The city is overwhelmed with visitors, and it's practically impossible to find an affordable hotel room, so you need some kind of outlet.”

Tough shit, says New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.  He’s demanding that Airbnb.com turn over a list of all New York City residents who have used the website to advertise a room.