Google to Test Anti-Theft AI on Phones in Brazil

Google announced on Tuesday that Brazil will be the first country to test an Android phone anti-theft feature that utilizes AI to detect theft and lock the screen

In the initial test phase, three kinds of locks will be accessible. In one of them, Google will employ artificial intelligence (AI), which it has developed to identify signals of “common movement associated with theft” and turn off the screen.

The second feature enables a user to remotely lock the device’s screen by inputting the phone number and completing a security challenge from another device.

The final mode entails the device automatically locking the screen if it is left without internet access for an extended period of time.

The company has announced that the features will be accessible to Brazilian users of Android phones running version 10 or higher beginning in July. Google has announced that it will be progressively available to users in other countries this year.

In Brazil, the issue of phone theft is on the rise. According to the 2023 Brazilian Public Security Yearbook, the number of stolen cell phones in the largest economy in Latin America increased by 16.6% from the previous year to nearly 1 million in 2022.

In December, the Brazilian government introduced Celular Seguro, an application enabling users to notify a stolen phone and prevent access to it using a trusted individual’s device.

Approximately 2 million individuals were enrolled with the application nationwide as of last month, and the Justice Ministry reported that 50,000 phones had been blocked.