Northern, WI 05/14/2013 (usmarketsdaily) - The New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sought explanation from the technology companies on why they were unable to ensure the safety and security of their handheld devices to the users. The companies which were pressed over mobile thefts include Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) (Current: $452.96, Down by 0.40%), Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (Current: $887.49, Up by 1.16%), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) (Current: $33.12, Up by 0.96%) and Samsung Electronics.

Increase in thefts
The New York police reported that the index crimes rose by 4 percent last year with thefts of Apple products alone contributing to 11447 incidents. The New York Attorney General sought explanation on why the companies which produced highly sophisticated mobile phones were unable to develop technologies which would make the devices unusable once stolen.

The Attorney General also called attention to two incidents which involved murder and stabbing for the theft of iPhones. He was especially concerned over the ability of the technology companies to effectively earn profits from replacement of devices while being totally unable to ensure safety and security of their customers.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) explains
Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) took the responsibility over such criticisms to explain that it had advised its users to keep their phones locked through security PIN numbers or with unique patterns. The company also ascertained that it had ensured that their devices would lock automatically when the phone is not in use.

However, such security systems in the smart phones had not contributed to the deterrence of mobile thefts and the consequential growth in the black markets of such stolen devices. The New York Attorney General condemned that such growth in foreign trafficking and domestic black market resellers of stolen phones would mean that the technology companies had not lived up to their promises to ensure the phones would become unusable once stolen.