California on Monday became the first state to require that antitheft security features come enabled by default for every smartphone sold in the state.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the so-called “kill switch” bill — introduced in February by State Sen. Mark Leno and sponsored by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon — on Monday, after it passed the state legislature earlier this month. A smartphone kill switch enables an owner to lock down a phone if it is stolen, rendering it inoperable. A spokesperson from Brown’s office said the governor was not available for comment.

In May, Minnesota became the first state to pass a kill switch bill, but that law does not require the feature come turned on as the default setting, when a consumer initially sets up his or her new smartphone — a distinction supporters of the California bill deem very important.

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http://www.cnet.com/news/calif-governor-signs-smartphone-kill-switch-bill/

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