Minnesota signed the country's first-ever “kill switch” law that would require all smartphones in the state to have a kill switch installed in case of theft.
The law takes effect on July 1, 2015, according to The Kansas City Star. With a kill switch, anyone whose phone is stolen can contact their carrier and have their phone dismantled and its data wiped.
Ideally, this law will lower phone theft rates, which the newspaper says accounts for about one in three robberies around the country.
California lawmakers proposed a similar bill in February that, if passed, would be enacted on Jan. 1, 2015.
New York and Illinois also have related bills slated for a vote.
