Google will test anti-theft AI feature for phones in Brazil

São Paulo:

Alphabet’s Google said on Tuesday that Brazil will be the first country to test an anti-theft feature for Android phones that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify when a phone has been stolen and lock the device’s screen.

Three types of locks will be available in the initial testing phase. In one, Google will use the AI ​​it created to help detect signs of “common movement associated with theft” and lock the screen.

The second feature allows a user to lock the device’s screen remotely by entering the phone number and completing a security challenge on another device. The last mode involves automatically blocking the screen if the device is left without internet access for long periods.

The features will be available to Brazilian users of Android cell phones version 10 or higher starting in July, according to the company. They will be rolled out to users in other countries gradually this year, Google said.

Phone theft is a growing problem in Brazil. The number of cell phones stolen in Latin America’s largest economy grew 16.6% in 2022 compared to the previous year, to almost 1 million, according to data from the Brazilian Public Security Yearbook 2023.

The Brazilian government launched an app called Celular Seguro in December, which allows users to report a stolen phone and block access to it using another device belonging to a trusted person.

Until last month, around 2 million people were registered on the app across the country, while 50,000 phones were blocked, according to the Ministry of Justice.

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