A number of carriers in Canada, along with the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), are working together on a new national blacklist of mobile phones and carrier-connected devices. The new service will prevent stolen phones listed on an international database from being used on Canadian carrier networks.
The Canadian database will record IMEI numbers for GSM, HSPA, HSPA+, and LTE devices that are reported as stolen from September 30th onwards, reports CBC, though individual carriers have the option of adding their own individual stolen phone database to the national listings. It will also connect with the international GSMA IMEI database and block devices blacklisted in other countries, and owners wanting to check their device against the database able to do so via the Protect Your Data website.
The initiative has already received praise, with Chief Constable Jim Chu, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) commending the CWTA and its members for the tool’s creation. “Less than a year ago, we identified to the CWTA the seriousness of cellphone theft and the associated violent crime which was of growing concern to law enforcement and communities throughout Canada.” said Chu, continuing “This important action by the industry will have a direct impact on reducing this gratuitous crime.”
The United States operates a similar universal database for stolen phones between carriers, also with the plan of adding access to the international database in the future.
