Although the controversy of a kill switch started in the days following the launch of the Android-based phone G1 from Google, it originated from the iPhone. Jonathan Zdziarski, an independent iPhone developer recently came across a secret line of code in the iPhone Operating system containing a URL. Days later, this spread all across the tech arena, and soon questions were left for Steve Jobs to answer.
Jobs eventually accepted the presence of a kill switch in iPhone’s operating system meant to kill third-party applications that run on an iPhone to avoid malware and other harmful applications from running on the iPhone. Jobs insisted it was precautionary rather than a function.
With the launch of the G1 from Google, things have moved far off with the detection of a kill switch in it as well. With companies deciding for the end consumer what application should be run, there is concern over end-user privacy. Although, both Google and Apple would release statements claiming that the privacy of the end-user is duly respected, the very fact that they know what application you run on their products is discomforting.
This is similar to Windows sending error codes to Microsoft’s servers without asking for your permission.