Last year the American telecommunications companies AT&T and T-Mobile created a unified database that contained all stolen mobile phones and now Sprint and Verizon have completed their own versions.
This database aims to reduce mobile phone thefts: Every 3G and 4G phone is linked to a series of unique numbers. In case it is stolen and the theft is reported, the phone is added to the above blacklist and the mobile service provider locks it so that it cannot be reactivated.
However, it is clear that such a database makes sense only if it is on a global scale, since phones can be sold to other countries. The American database has already been merged with the European database, and more and more countries are being encouraged to add their own lists. For now, Russia, China and many other countries are absent from the database…
Source: techgear.gr
