Norton Anti-Theft Takes Mugshot of Device-Stealing Thief

Norton Anti-Theft will track down your lost or stolen notebook, tablet or smartphone. It will even take a picture of the surrounding area, or the face of alleged thief.

Tuesday Symantec launched Norton Anti-Theft, a Web-based service that allows consumers to remotely lock, locate and recover a lost or stolen Windows-based laptop, Android smartphone or Android tablet. The release is part of Symantec's Norton Everywhere initiative, which extends Norton’s security expertise and technologies to protect consumers everywhere they go, regardless of device or platform.

"Laptops, smartphones and tablets have become more personal than ever because consumers can take them wherever they go," said Dave Cole, vice president of mobile products at Norton. "However, the convenience of mobility also brings the risk of theft or accidental loss, so safeguards need to be in place. Norton Anti-Theft allows consumers to take defensive measures in preparing for the worst case scenario and proactive measures when an unfortunate incident occurs."

One of the key (and amusing) features of Symantec's Norton Anti-Theft is its ability to take a "sneak peek" snapshot of anyone or anything in front of the lost or stolen webcam-equipped device. Once acquired, the image is saved to the Norton Anti-Theft website so that users can visually track down their property.

In addition to the Sneak Peek feature, Symantec's Norton Auto-Theft also tracks and maps the location of the stolen/lost device when anyone uses it to go online. Subscribers can also securely lock the device to prevent others from using it or seeing the stored information. There's also an option to display a customizable message to anyone who finds the missing device so that owners can make arrangements to get it back.

Symantec claims that Norton Anti-Theft works securely over the Internet so that users can easily track, locate, and lock their devices anytime, anywhere. The service comes with free support by way of phone, email, live chat or via the Norton Anti-Theft website.

Subscribers to Norton Anti-Theft can track up to ten devices, but that secure feeling comes with a price: $89.99 per year. Additional subscription plans include $39.99 per year for 3 devices, and $59.99 per year for 5 devices. Norton Anti-Theft even supports all web browsers, so there's no software to install on all three platforms.

To see a video demonstration of Symantec's new anti-theft service, head here.