By Canisius Mushibwe
Samsung has electronically taken revenge on looters of TVs in South Africa during the unrest by remotely blocking them rendering them unusable.
The electronics giant says it has an inbuilt block function on its devices which can be activated by connecting the TV to the internet.
It checks the system identified to the TV’s serial number against the list on its servers before it renders it unusable.
“The blocking system is intended to be implemented in respect of televisions that have been obtained by users through unlawful means and in some cases, stolen from the Samsung warehouses,” Samsung South Africa said.
“TV Block is a remote, security solution that detects if Samsung TV units have been unduly activated, and ensures that the television sets can only be used by the rightful owners with a valid proof of purchase,” it added.
While some thought they were smart by stealing the TVs the Smart TV outsmarted them.
And this development has caused a frenzy on social media with many praising the ability to remotely disable TV functions, saying it has the potential to mitigate crime.
One social media user noted that the electronic giant was taking “electronic revenge” on looters of its TV sets even as a different user said the company had given more reason “never to connect a TV set to the internet”.
Mike Van Lier, Samsung’s director of consumer electronics said, “In keeping with our values to leverage the power of technology to resolve societal challenges, 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.”
“This technology can have a positive impact at this time, and will also be of use to both the industry and customers in the future.”
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