Samsung Can Now Remotely Block Stolen TVs, So No One Can Ever Use Them
Image via Samsung
A report from Samsung in South Africa earlier this month details that the company is able to control its devices even after sale, overriding their new owners.
And it seems that it will not hesitate to do so in the case of “unlawful means.”
Particularly highlighting the case of the looted Samsung TV sets from the Cato Ridge distribution center in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Samsung has declared that the Television Block Function (TV Block) will prevent televisions from functioning until it can be ascertained that the devices are being used by their rightful purchasers or owners.
“We will continuously develop and expand strategic products in our consumer electronics division with defense-grade security, purpose-built, with innovative and intuitive business tools designed for a new world,” says Mike Van Lier, Director of Consumer Electronics at Samsung South Africa.
Explaining the new TV Block feature, Samsung South Africa shared in a news release that the bricking would take effect when the stolen television attempts to connect to the internet in order to function. Once it’s online, the Samsung server will identify and match the serial number of the unit if it was stolen.
When this happens, the block is instated, and all the television’s functions are rendered null. If a television set is wrongfully blocked, customers can contact the company with proof of purchase and a valid television license to reverse this.
The report states that TV Block has been pre-loaded onto all Samsung TV products, and its introduction would hopefully reduce the likelihood of “secondary markets linked to the sale of illegal goods” developing, “both in South Africa and beyond its borders.”
However, it has been pointed out that this could do more harm than good, especially on the assumption that there are more legitimate customers than thieves who have their hands on a Samsung TV.
There is always the possibility of a hacker figuring it out, then bricking all the devices in the network.
While helpful in detecting things like stolen products’ serial numbers, technology is far from perfect, and it may cause inconvenience in error—say, if an entire batch of units were wrongly reported as stolen and caused an entire network of televisions in real homes to suddenly cease to function.
Of course, with that being said, there is the option to never connect the screen to the internet. But that’s hardly the point of investing in a smart TV, is it?
[via Android Police, image via Samsung]
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