On Wednesday (19/12), the federal government launched the “Celular Seguro” application. The objective of the measure by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP) is to combat robberies and theft of cell phones across the country, a type of crime that has been growing consecutively year after year. With the initiative, the victim of these crimes will be able to block telephone line and banking applications in a few clicks. The service is available through the GOV.BR portal and also through applications for Android and iOS.
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Main Goal
The idea is to speed up blocking of critical services and inhibit cell phone robbery and theft with a free service similar to that offered by some manufacturers. “Celular Seguro”’s proposal is to provide faster consumer communication with banks, financial institutions and telephone companies. Nowadays, faced with an unfortunate episode of robbery, the customer (weakened by the robbery) still needs to make the journey to contact each company (in these sectors) with which they have a relationship.
How it works
User registration will be done with the same account used on gov.br. To use “Celular Seguro” you need to access its official website at celularseguro.mj.gov.br or download the application and log in with the Gov.br platform. If the user does not have yet an account on the website, he/she must create one using documents such as ID and CPF.
After logging in, the “Celular Seguro” home screen is displayed with three options: register phone, trusted people and register incident.
The “register phone” option allows the user to register numbers that must be blocked in case of loss, theft or theft. To do this, click on it and fill in the form fields. Each person registered with “Celular Seguro” can nominate others, who can block it if the holder has their cell phone stolen, stolen or lost.
According to the MJSP, the registration of “trusted people” is optional and, if registered as emergency contacts, they will not have access to cell phone data and can only report the crime on the “Celular Seguro” website or application. This is done through the “register incident” option. With it, it is possible to block different registered phone numbers and issue alerts to trusted contacts previously registered in the system.
Smartphone blocking is done through a notification sent by the “Celular Seguro” system to partner institutions of the Justice and Public Security Ministry, which is responsible for the platform.
The services block the device’s applications within up to 30 minutes, in addition to alerting banking institutions about possible suspicious movements and operators about illegal use of the line.
Apple and Google Tools
Even if it manages to prevent access to these critical apps, the new feature does not have the power to erase and block Android and iPhone devices at once. For years, Android and iOS systems have allowed users to find their devices when lost or stolen, lock them, and even delete all content. This type of measure may be necessary to delete not only applications, but also photos, videos and other types of sensitive information. Passwords stored on the device will also be deleted, ensuring that thieves cannot access social networks.
Blocking is done remotely using a computer, tablet or other cell phone. To use the resource, the device must be connected to the internet and have the login and password for your Google or Apple ID account.
On the other hand, Celular Seguro, developed by the federal government in partnership with companies in the telecommunications and financial areas, allows you to deactivate telephone lines, banking apps and services such as Uber and iFood at once.
Resource Combination
Technology experts recommend that technology resources be activated and combined so that criminals have as few loopholes to exploit. For example, in addition to combining the use of services from manufacturers Apple and Google with “Celular Seguro”, block the deactivation of internet and other services through the lock screen.
Also, activate the three-factor authentication features and use locked folders to maintain more sensitive applications, such as those from financial institutions. Prefer alphanumeric passwords, pins and fingerprint reading.
Cell Phone Robberies and Theft
As cell phones become more and more popular in Brazil and their functions expand to make of them a true hub of services, criminals notice the high potential to profit with these devices. This propels the numbers of thefts and robberies. The creation of Pix attracts even more criminals that now have a way to quickly withdraw money from their victims through the banking apps. Cell phones are becoming more and more valuable and when unlocked can be resold. When this is not possible, they can be dismantled for the parts which are used to fix other devices.
The phenomenon is not only behind the increase in robberies and thefts, but also the rise in cases of express kidnappings, extortions, scams and other crimes.
According to the 2023 Brazilian Yearbook of Public Security, the number of cell phone robberies in Brazil increased by 5.2% from 2021 to 2022, while the number of thefts went up by 32.6%. The number of cell phone subtractions, thefts and robberies added, almost reached 1 million, precisely 999,223 incidents, reached after a variation of +17.1%.
Registrations
According to government data, the platform surpassed 150,000 registrations in just 24 hours. On the first day of operation alone, there were 735 alerts from users who reported loss, theft or theft of their cell phone.
Analysis:
Apple, Google and Samsung do not directly participate in the initiative. As a result, it will probably bring difficulties to completely hinder the criminals’actions. The companies are behind the most used smartphone platforms in the country. By being left out of the project, this means that the “Celular Seguro” does not impact the systems of the stolen devices, which could reduce the effectiveness of government action.
