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Samsung TV Block: Remotely Disabling Stolen Samsung TVs

After a major theft of Samsung televisions from a South African warehouse, the Korean manufacturer unveiled the existence of a system to remotely deactivate stolen TVs. The goal for the Asian firm is to avoid the establishment of a parallel market which would hamper its profitability in this oh so strategic market.

The Korean group recently unveiled that all of its televisions include a feature allowing them to be completely "deactivated" if ever they were declared stolen before they were put on sale. The disappearance of products in the different stages of their distribution is indeed commonplace (transport, storage at wholesalers, etc.).

New TV Block anti-theft function

Called TV Block, this function was therefore recently activated following a large-scale theft of Samsung TV in South Africa last month. The principle is simple, when starting up for the first time, the TV requires the entry of the product's entry number by its owner. The latter is then regularly checked regularly, when the television is connected to the Internet, by the manufacturer who compares it with the list of serial numbers of TVs declared stolen, available on its computer servers. If a match is found, all features of the TV are immediately disabled.

Mike Van Lier, Head of Consumer Electronics Samsung South Africa, has the floor

Namely, it is possible to reverse the process to reactivate the TV if proof of purchase is provided (send to: zaservicemanager@samsung.com). And according to the statement of Mike Van Lier, director of consumer electronics at Samsung South Africa, this feature should be offered in the future to ordinary owners of a Samsung TV victim of a burglary: “This technology can have a positive impact and will also be useful to both industry and customers in the future, ”said Mike Van Lier, director of consumer electronics at Samsung South Africa.