Your phone may soon allow you to block access to personal information

Samsung is rolling out a new update that will help people overcome the discomfort we all feel every time we hand our phones in for repairs.

The company is unveiling a new Galaxy phone feature in South Korea. The so-called repair mode hides users’ data to prevent their theft when a device is handed in for repair. According to a translated version of the Korean press release, repair mode blocks access to photos, messages, and account information when enabled.

“This feature allows users to protect data, photos, attachments, contacts, and other data so prying eyes cannot access information while a device is being repaired,” Stephanie Kurtz, lead faculty for the College of Information Systems and Technology of the University of Phoenix, Lifewire said via email, “This is a great new feature for users who have no other options to lock down the data stored on a device.”

Restriction of Access

In an email discussion, Dimitri Shelest, founder and CEO of OneRep, an online privacy company that helps people remove their sensitive information from the internet, told Lifewire that the feature makes a lot of sense because many people have personal and… They often store very sensitive data on their devices, from passwords and PIN codes to financial accounts and credit card details.

The press release mentions scant details about the new feature, saying it will be rolled out via a software update, restarts the device when activated, and can only be turned off with the owner’s pattern or biometric recognition.

For that reason, Shelest welcomed the feature, but emphasized that in order to build trust, Samsung needs to be absolutely transparent about what that protection entails and how it’s provided, to ensure no consumer information is compromised.

For their part, consumers should be more curious about how devices and apps installed on them handle their data and adopt the privacy-first approach that helps prevent data breaches, identity theft and other privacy issues that cause financial and other widespread harm can – with consequences,” said Shelest.

Be your own watchdog

While the feature sounds useful, Kurtz says it doesn’t relieve people of worrying about what they manage, store, and send from personal devices. She warned against the long-term storage of personally identifiable information (PII) on mobile devices.

“Beyond repair incidents, data can be exfiltrated from mobile devices through insecure applications and is a target for bad actors as mobile payments become more common,” Kurtz said. “Make sure you set up security, passwords, virus scans, and offload data that is no longer used.”

Kurtz praised Samsung for facilitating end-user security, but also cautioned that repair mode should not be used as an excuse to avoid backing up data on the device before taking it in for repair.

“Remember, just because a device is locked doesn’t mean the device might be locked [not] have to be reset due to bugs,” Kurtz said. “Avoid potential data loss by backing up whenever possible before allowing repair work.”

Repair mode is launched for the Galaxy S21 series in South Korea. In the release, Samsung noted that the feature will be added to more models over time, although it didn’t mention if and when the feature will be available in other countries.

However, experts think the feature should definitely be more widely available. “So many things seem absolutely necessary after they come into our lives that we wonder how we ever functioned before,” Shelest said.

He thinks Repair Mode has the potential to become one of those essential features that will have us wondering how we ever lived without it. The bigger takeaway for him, however, is the fact that privacy and data protection are moving into the focus of many people and companies. He argued that this will lead to a flood of new products and features focused on data security.

“I love that Samsung is thinking about end-user security,” Kurtz said. “But know that ultimate end-user security is your responsibility. Be aware of what you store, manage and maintain on your device and how you can protect personal information.”