GATINEAU – A compilation of statistics released by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association to the CRTC last week show that the number of lost or stolen wireless handsets reported to its member companies has been declining for the past two years.
Given the fact that more and more Canadians are living their lives through their phones, which are becoming laden with banking and other personal data, the CRTC earlier this year demanded more and better action from the Canadian wireless industry on tracking and permanently disabling those lost or stolen devices – and on helping consumers protect themselves.
As reported by Cartt.ca, the industry took action by organizing a Handset Security Working Group this year, then earlier this month committing to join the global IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number database that tracks stolen handsets worldwide, and launching a public campaign (www.protectyourdata.ca) to fight the complacency among Canadians, urging them to take steps to protect themselves. An ad has been airing on TV this fall, with the CWTA estimating it has been shown 5,000 times already. The CWTA noted that joining the IMEA database will cost carriers about $20 million, collectively.
One of the other tasks given to the CWTA by the CRTC was to file a breakdown of phones reported lost and stolen, by region, from 2010 on. What those numbers, submitted by CWTA member companies, show is a significant drop in the number of handsets stolen or lost (see chart below. 2012 figures are only to October 31st) and that phones are mostly lost, not taken. The CWTA filing with the Commission does not ponder why the numbers are getting better despite the fact there are far more devices in the market now than in 2010.
“Two facts are particularly evident from the lost and stolen phone data: (i) Mobile devices reported lost and stolen actually declined from 2010 to 2011 and are projected to decline again in 2012. (ii) Mobile devices are reported lost roughly three times more often than they are reported stolen, which is why CWTA’s handset security action plan included a focus on reminding Canadians of the critical importance of protecting the data on their smartphones, in the event of both loss and theft,” reads the CWTA’s November 27th letter to the Commission.
“CWTA reiterates that it and its members take the security of all aspects of the Canadian wireless system very seriously. We believe our actions over the past months demonstrate our commitment to doing whatever we can to mitigate the impact, and hopefully the frequency, of handset loss and theft in Canada,” concludes the letter. “We recognize that we could have been clearer with the Commission when it came to ensuring that the process, challenges and investments associated with the development and launch of this new program were better understood.”
– Greg O’Brien
