Florin Cașotă13: 30 25.10.2018 
Phones have been the target of thieves for many years, and since they are so expensive, they have become even more appealing to them. However, with the help of technology, phone theft could become irrelevant.
In Germany, 600 phones are stolen every day. In the United States, more than 1.4 million phones are stolen each year. The theft does not only cause harm to the victim, but it can have more serious consequences: identity theft or finding sensitive information (especially for those who work in corporations).
Each outgoing phone has an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) identification number, a 15-digit number that identifies the devices.
At this point, if someone steals a phone that was purchased through a telecom operator (Orange, say) then that phone can be blocked by the operator, so the thief can't use the phone on that network, but no one stopped it. do not activate a card in Vodafone, Telekom or Digi.
Bitcoin technology could stop phone theft
"When an Orange phone is stolen, this information is written in the blockchain, if a Verizon phone is stolen and it is written in the blockchain. So. when a phone is activated with a SIM card, telecom operators will be able to see if this phone has been declared stolen or not, ”said Gil Perez, SAP VP Leonardo Blockchain, in a discussion with PLAYTECH at the SAP TechEd event.
Basically, then there will be no desire to steal a phone. "Without being able to activate it in a network, it becomes almost useless. The price of stolen phones will drop dramatically," he added.
With blockhain technology, people will also be able to check if that phone is stolen before buying it by checking the IMEI number.
Blockchain technology has become known and is associated with bitcoin, but blockchain is a technology, and bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are just applications of this technology. Blockchain is a distributed registry (where each partner has a copy of the registry) that cannot be edited, manipulated, like a regular database.
Where the perfect anti-theft system has been tested
"We have shown that the system works with Deutsche Telekom in Germany, and now we need to persuade others to participate. That's the problem here, "Perez said. SAP has conducted a pilot project in Germany with Deutsche Telekom using blockchain technology to reduce the desire of thieves to steal mobile phones.
What is the problem? Why wouldn't telecom operators keep a record of where all phones could be routed to reduce phone theft?
"Everyone has to win, but at the end of the day, they are competitors. Companies do not want to compromise their data, their intellectual property. At the same time, another problem with blockchain adoption is that some partners may benefit more from the data of others and vice versa. A win-win situation must be created for all the players involved. "