The Brazilian government will launch an application to quickly block stolen cell phones. Baptized as Safe cell phone, the software will be launched this Tuesday (19) for Android, iOS and computers and will send simultaneous warnings about the theft or loss of a device to operators, banks and online services.
Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) is also part of the launch and will receive warnings, which aim to quickly block stolen devices. The idea is that, with a single click, citizens can inform different institutions and operators about the crime, making the device unusable for criminals and protecting bank accounts and personal data.
As with other security services of this type, the idea is that citizens have the application registered on different devices, so that alerts about theft from one can be made from another. However, according to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), the use of Safe cell phone It does not replace the user's direct communication with banks, telephone operators and online platforms, much less the registration of incidents with the police authority.
We will launch an initiative next Tuesday that will transform stolen cell phones into a useless piece of metal. With just one click, the victim will send a warning simultaneously to ANATEL, banks, telephone operators and other applications.
— Ricardo Cappelli (@RicardoCappelli) December 16, 2023
Trusted contacts can also be registered on the app, which will be integrated with the gov.br platform to unify user information. Furthermore, according to the terms of use of the Safe cell phone, data such as geolocation, brand, model and serial number of the smartphone, in addition to the IMEI, will be collected alongside personal information to ensure the service works.
Meeting of the Celular Seguro project. Everything was adjusted with Febraban and Anatel, the main axis of support with the blocking of stolen devices (IMEI) and access to banks. In the coming weeks, we will also block lines/SMS and other Apps. With just one click. pic.twitter.com/v717wzmwMb
— Ricardo Cappelli (@RicardoCappelli) December 18, 2023
According to Capelli, the launch of the app was one of Minister Flávio Dino's priorities and had been discussed for a few months. Meetings with regulatory entities and agencies guaranteed the viability of the project and the specific points of the blocking function, while the secretary said that more companies could be integrated into the official system in the future.
For the ministry, the initiative joins others, such as police operations to seize cell phones used in prisons and the technological modernization of security branches of the federal government. The focus here is on border areas, in an effort that integrates the Federal Police, Federal Highway Police and the Armed Forces.
