Editing Kill switch (section)

==Anti-theft==
Kill switches are also used on land vehicles as an [[anti-theft system]] and as an emergency power off. Such devices are often placed in [[bait car]]s and configured so that observing police can trigger the switch remotely.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] 
  |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/24/automobiles/driving-smart-a-kill-switch-can-steal-a-car-thief-s-precious-time.html
  |title=A Kill Switch Can Steal a Car Thief's Previous Time |date=April 24, 1994}}</ref> This same idea can make the stolen object, such as a [[smartphone]], useless to both the thief and whoever buys it, yet allow the true owner to reactivate it when/if it is recovered.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] 
|url=https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/antitheft-technology-led-to-a-dip-in-iphone-thefts-in-some-cities-police-say
|title=Smartphones Embracing 'Kill Switches' as Theft Defense |date=June 9, 2014}}</ref>

===Smartphones===
{{main|Smartphone kill switch}}
In [[smartphones]], a kill switch is a security feature that allows the phone's owner to remotely render the smartphone inoperable if it is lost or stolen. From 2015 this feature is legally required in [[California]] for smartphones.<ref>{{cite news
  |title=The Smartphone Kill Switch Explained
  |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/08/27/the-smartphone-kill-switch-explained
  |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> There are also ''hardware kill switches'' on some phones, such as [[PinePhone]], where the user can, by moving a hardware switch inside the phone, disable hardware like the camera, microphone, Wi-Fi or LTE.<ref name=tuxphones>{{cite web |last1=T. |first1=Raffaele 
|title=Librem 5 vs. PinePhone: comparison of two Linux smartphones
|url=https://tuxphones.com/purism-librem-5-vs-pine64-pinephone-linux-smartphone-comparison/ |website=TuxPhones |language=en |date=2 September 2019}}</ref>
{{Further|Kill Pill}}

===Software===
: ''See also: [[Brick (electronics)]] – an electronic device that can no longer function due to software malfunction''

By analogy to physical kill switches, "kill switch" can be used to refer to a mechanism incorporated in software that can be activated by its manufacturer or licensor, for example if the product is withdrawn, or a maintenance fee has not been paid, or a device has been lost or stolen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slashgear.com/microsoft-remote-software-kill-switch-confirmed-1656965/|title=Microsoft remote software "kill switch" confirmed|last=Davies|first=Chris|date=19 Sep 2009|website=SlashGear|access-date=10 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2367480/10-things-to-know-about-the-smartphone-kill-switch.html|title=10 things to know about the smartphone kill switch|last=Williams|first=Martyn|date=24 Jun 2014|website=PCWorld|access-date=10 May 2017}}</ref> It can also refer to kill switches for the stopping of [[malware]] such as in the [[WannaCry ransomware attack]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Chan|first1=Sewell|last2=Scott|first2=Mark|title=Cyberattack's Impact Could Worsen in 'Second Wave' of Ransomware|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/14/world/europe/cyberattacks-hack-computers-monday.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 May 2017|date=14 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Warning: Blockbuster 'WannaCry' malware could just be getting started|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blockbuster-wannacry-malware-could-just-be-getting-started-experts-n759356|publisher=NBC News|access-date=14 May 2017|language=en}}</ref> 

There is a debate about implementing kill switches in [[robot]]s<ref>{{cite news
  |last1=Kottasova |first1=Ivana
  |title=Europe calls for mandatory 'kill switches' on robots
  |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/01/12/technology/robot-law-killer-switch-taxes
  |publisher=CNNMoney |access-date=May 14, 2017|date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> and advanced [[artificial intelligence]] systems.<ref>{{cite web
|last1=Larson |first1=Selena |title=Killing the immortal: Why scientists are debating the life span of robots
|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/01/26/technology/kill-switch-ai-ethics
|publisher=CNNMoney |access-date=May 14, 2017|date=January 26, 2017}}</ref>

====In AI====
{{See also|AI capability control#Interruptibility and off-switch}}
[[Google]] started to work on a hardware kill switch for [[AI]] in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-06-08 |title=Google developing kill switch for AI |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36472140 |access-date=2023-04-21}}</ref>