Brazil , the only country to have lifted the FIFA World Cup five times, will be a testing ground for Google's newest invention: an artificial intelligence-powered anti-theft feature .
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A Reuters report sheds some light on the matter. The anti-theft feature will be coming to Android phones (since it's a Google feature, not Apple !) and the AI part will try to detect when a phone has been stolen. When such a scenario is triggered, the anti-theft AI feature will lock the device's screen.
The test phase will introduce three types of screen locks:
- The first type uses artificial intelligence to recognize “common theft-related motion” and lock the screen.
- The second feature allows users to remotely lock their screens by entering their phone number and completing a security challenge from another device.
- The third feature automatically locks the screen if the device is offline for a long time.
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Google's anti-theft features will be available to Brazilian users with Android phones running version 10 or higher starting in July, with plans to gradually roll out to users in other countries throughout the year.
This initiative comes in response to the growing problem of phone theft in Brazil. In 2022, the number of stolen mobile phones in Brazil increased by 16.6% from the previous year, reaching almost 1 million incidents, according to the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook for 2023.
In December, the Brazilian government launched an app called Celular Seguro, which allows users to report stolen phones and block access using another trusted device. As of last month, about 2 million people have signed up for the app and 50,000 phones have been blocked, according to the Justice Ministry.
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Ensuring the security of personal belongings and information is of utmost importance in today’s world. Anti-theft measures can range from physical devices such as locks, alarms and secure containers, to digital solutions such as encryption and multi-factor authentication, as well as anti-theft features such as Google’s. Implementing these measures can significantly reduce the risk of theft and unauthorized access, providing security. In addition, staying up-to-date on the latest security practices and technologies can further enhance protection against potential threats.
Source: phonearena
