A British company has developed an innovative anti-theft mechanism which will order a mobile phone to commit digital suicide should it fall into the wrong hands. The system – named Backstopp - was created to limit the possibility of data-theft from smart phones, PDAs, and BlackBerry devices.

Virtuity, the manufacturers of Backstopp, may have bridged the gap between reality and the silver screen but exploding communications devices – the likes of which James Bond or Ethan Hunt might ponder over – are still confined to photogenic action heroes in Hollywood blockbusters.

Backstopp is not a remote detonator; very few modern mobile phones are rigged with tiny bombs ready to explode should the situation call for it. The software uses either the internet or the GSM network to decommission any intelligent electronic device (i.e. a laptop or a phone - not a toaster), anywhere in the world.

David Brooker, the managing director of Virtuity, explained that Backstopp was built to address a very real threat: “Mobile devices are increasingly carrying large quantities of sensitive information, both personal and commercial. That data is very likely to appeal to both crooks and competitors.”

Backstopp Mobile works as an addendum to the company’s primary laptop defence system and utilises the same security protocols as the US Department of Defence. If the stolen device comes equipped with a camera, the Backstopp service can even provide the relevant authorities with photographic evidence of the thief at work.

Virtuity offers its services for around £4 per device per month and can be contacted at the official Backstopp website.