Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the smartphone kill...

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed the smartphone kill switch bill into law, making the state the first in the nation to require manufacturers to include equipment to disable the devices if lost or stolen (CD May 12 p8). “This law will help combat the growing number of violent cell phone thefts in Minnesota,” Dayton, of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, said in a statement (http://bit.ly/1k4KFIZ) in signing Senate File 1740 (http://bit.ly/1n55aEZ) Wednesday. “The safety and security of wireless users is the wireless industry’s top priority, and we've taken significant actions to provide consumers with the tools and information needed to help deter smartphone theft,” said Jamie Hastings, CTIA vice president, external and state affairs, in a statement Friday. Given efforts like the “Smartphone Anti-Theft Voluntary Commitment,” in which companies have pledged either preload phones with kill switches that can be turned on or the ability to download the anti-theft technology, “we question if the Minnesota bill was necessary,” Hastings said.