Mobile security startup Lookout is turning smartphones and tablets against gadget thieves with a new feature that, when possible, will snap a picture of the culprit.
A new theft alert function added to Lookout's premium service for Apple and Android mobile devices sets out to pinpoint where a gadget might be and, in some cases, even take the thief's picture.
"We are not providing this information for you to go out and find the device yourself," Lookout product manager Greg Lou told AFP.
"It is so you can give it to the police so they can find it for you."
The new capability lets users tell smartphones to fire off theft alerts if anyone botches a lock-screen code, turns the gadget off, pulls a SIM card, or puts the device in `flight' mode to block network connections.
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Lookout launched in 2007 and reports that 55 million people worldwide use its mobile security software, a version of which is free.
