Over the summer, Public Safety (PSafe) and Information Technology Services (ITS) plan to launch a new anti-theft software for laptops. The free program will permit registered students to lock personal data and track their missing device using GPS technology.

The program would work on Macs, PCs, and iPads, and all students can register their laptops for free. Only the owner of the computer can track down their device with another computer and a username and password on the program’s website.

“We have not finalized the purchase yet and are still in testing mode. If we move forward, we will roll out [the program] for students beginning in the summer,” Director of User and Technical Services Karen Warren wrote in an email to The Argus. “Students can take part wherever they are. Being on campus is not required.”

Director of Public Safety Dave Meyer said that this program will deter petty thievery. If a laptop is put into “lost and stolen mode”, the machine will turn off within 20 seconds of being turned on. It will also play an audible alert that cannot be turned off, Warren said.

“One of our biggest problems when it comes to theft is laptops, because students leave them unattended on regular basis,” Meyer said.

According to Meyer, laptops are among the most stolen items—over 12 laptops are stolen per year—due to their small size and high value. He also said that most these cases are “thefts of opportunity” and occur when personal computers are left in a library or other workspace.

Many students leave their computers unattended when they are working in Olin or Science Library (SciLi). Whether it’s to go to the bathroom or grab a snack, there are usually many unsupervised laptops lying around on a school night, Meyer said.

“I leave my laptop unattended a lot actually, especially if I go to the bathroom,” said Eleonore Finkelstein ’14. “I usually ask someone to watch it for me, even if I don’t know the person.”