[roin]

This is a huge problem, and I think it's a good idea to legislate this (depending on the precise text of the bill) due to the positive externalities involved. I wrote a blog post making this argument:

http://andrewro.in/post/75915934983/forcing-antitheft-techno...

[maxerickson]

The HuffPo article misunderstood the $30 billion figure. It is provided by a company that sells a cell phone recovery app/service:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120322005325/en/Look....

It is their estimate of how much lost and stolen phones cost Americans, not the worldwide market for stolen phones.