The California state Senate passed a bill this week crafted to protect against smartphone theft by requiring manufacturers turn on a "kill switch" when a device is first activated.
The state's push to require "kill switches" off smartphone manufacturers is one step closer to becoming a law, as it passed through the Senate with a final tally of 27-8, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
The state's governor, Jerry Brown, now has 12 days to sign the bill into law.
The bill was introduced by State Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who believes the effort will help discourage smartphone thefts.
California's initiative differs from similar legislation up for consideration in other states like New York, which places responsibility on manufacturers to have the feature activated during initial device setup, according to the Journal.
The bill is joined by a federal anti-theft proposal known as the Smartphone Theft Prevention Act. The act would require all cellphone devices sold in the U.S. to come with free kill switch technology.
The proposal was introduced to Congress back in February.
Apple joined Google, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola back in April, as well as all five major U.S. cellular providers, in supporting the CTIA's "Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment" earlier this year.
The CTIA initiative is also opt-in, however, according to AppleInsider.com. Senator Leno believes it isn't enough to handle the growing "epidemic" of smartphone thefts.
Apple already utilizes a remote locking mechanism into iOS with Find My iPhone, which uses an app and the iCloud service connection to lock, disable, wipe, and track data from an iPhone iPad or iPod touch.
The most recent enhancement to Apple's security system came with the introduction of Activation Lock in iOS 7.
The feature provides Apple users whose device was recently stolen extra protection. The system prevents thieves from signing out of iCloud or erasing and reactivating the device without first providing credentials, according to Apple.
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