Samsung Remotely Disables TVs Looted In South Africa

Electronics big Samsung has “blocked” TVs that had been stolen in South Africa through the unrest in July, rendering them unusable.

The corporate says it has an inbuilt “block perform” on its TVs that can be utilized to remotely disable the units.

The perform is activated when a person of a stolen TV or one which has been acquired unlawfully connects to the web, in response to Samsung.

The system checks the recognized TV’s serial quantity towards the listing on its servers earlier than disabling its performance.

 

South Africa had weeks of violent protests and looting final month that left greater than 300 individuals useless and property value billions of rands ransacked.

 

The protest was in response to former South African President Jacob Zuma’s arrest and detention.

 

Among the reportedly in style gadgets that had been stolen had been sensible TVs.

 

The flexibility to remotely disable TV perform has received some praise among on-line customers for its potential use to discourage crime, with some additionally noting its potential for abuse.

 

One individual famous that Samsung was taking “digital revenge” on looters of its TV units whereas one other stated it was extra cause “by no means to attach a TV set to the web”.