‘Blacklist’ for stolen smartphones in Canada now in effect

A measure announced by the Canadian government back in November has finally come into effect, preventing mobile wireless carriers from activating phones that have been reported as stolen.

The Canadian Press reports that beginning on Sept. 30, if you report to your mobile carrier that your phone has been lost or stolen, the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number will be added to a database of ‘blacklisted’ numbers. Mobile devices on that list won’t be able to connect to the Canadian networks of service providers participating in the program.

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The program will also include the data from U.S. carriers that are part of the IMEI database.

If you want to check if your device has been reported as stolen or lost, you can check the new website protectyourdata.ca, which lets you search a pre-owned phone’s IMEI number.

In the press release issued by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), Chief Constable Jim Chu sang the program’s praises:

“On behalf of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), I would like to commend the CWTA and its members for their rapid response to implement this much needed public safety tool.

“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. This important action by the industry will have a direct impact on reducing this gratuitous crime.”

Chu, who is the CACP’s president, knows better than most what a problem mobile device theft can be. Chu is also the Chief Constable of the police department in Vancouver, a city which has seen a huge number of smartphone thefts in the last year. In April, it was reported by The Province that mobile phone thefts had reached ‘epidemic’ levels in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.

“We have 70-year-old ladies being pushed down to take their cellphones,” said Vancouver Police Department spokesman Sgt. Randy Fincham. “Retail store workers being tied up while their stores are robbed.”

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The hope is that the new blacklist by the CWTA will help to minimize the number of these thefts by rendering mobile phones essentially useless, and making the stolen goods less appealing to potential customers of thieves.

Some Canadian companies, like SaskTel, have been keeping an IMEI blacklist prior to now, while others like Wind Mobile, who elected to not be part of the CWTA, has still agreed to participate in the program.

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