WipeOut Mobile, a new application that enables mobile users who lose their handsets to backup their information and wipe it from the lost devices, has been launched in Kenya.
With close to 3,000 phones being stolen and misplaced each day, the service offers a solution to erase information that might be used by third parties. The idea behind WipeOut Mobile is to protect information retained in stolen devices including contacts, SMS, MMS, applications, music, pictures and videos.
Once a user registers and downloads the application on a phone, once it is stolen they can log in through a computer and wipe out the information from the phone.
Hussein Ramji, the Director of WipeOut Mobile, said that the application was developed at the cost of KSh2 million (US$23,000) and the security on the server is secured by encryption. The backed up data will be secure for restoration to a new device.
WipeOut Mobile has applications compatible to the Symbian operating system and Android OS. These two are the most common OS in the Kenyan market.
Ramji also revealed that in the future, they will have a “Lock” function that will make stolen mobile phones unusable.
WipeOut will cost KSh100 (US$1.10) for phone backup, KSh500 (US$5.80) for data wipeout and KSh650 (US$7.50) for both backup and data wipeout functions.
Safaricom, the leading integrated telecommunications company in Kenya, has also introduced a phone backup programme where users pay KSh1 (US$0.01) per week for their contact backup.
