The Canadian government announced this week plans to officially ban and block further imports of the Flipper Zero, a popular electronic device that has recently come under fire for enabling thieves to break into and steal cars.

The move comes in response to growing concerns over a spike in motor vehicle thefts across the country, with over 90,000 cars reported stolen annually. This amounts to over $1 billion per year in related damages and insurance costs borne by victims and companies.

Speaking at a national summit on auto theft hosted in Ottawa earlier this week, Canadian Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne stated “Criminals have been using sophisticated tools to steal cars. And Canadians are rightfully worried. Today, I announced we are banning the importation, sale and use of consumer hacking devices, like flippers, used to commit these crimes.”

The Flipper Zero is a compact, programmable device marketed to hardware hobbyists and security researchers to prototype and test various radio, infrared, Bluetooth and other wireless signals. However, its versatility has also attracted more nefarious users demonstrating how the Flipper can be abused to unlock car doors, start ignitions, and clone key fobs by capturing and replaying the digital signals.

Videos of such criminal applications circulating online in recent months have raised alarms. The Canadian government and national law enforcement now believe the Flipper Zero and similar devices have directly enabled more brazen and higher-tech car thefts.

The proposed ban would see the Flipper Zero and related equipment made illegal to import, sell or use across Canada. The move represents one of the first nationwide restrictions specifically targeting hacker devices like the Flipper.

Industry Ministry officials stated they plan to collaborate closely with police agencies to enforce the ban and remove existing stock of the Flipper Zero from store shelves and online retailers countrywide. Violators caught importing, distributing or using banned devices could face steep fines or jail time if convicted.

The maker of the Flipper Zero, Flipper Devices, has responded to Canada’s announcement by claiming their device cannot unlock or start any car made after the 1990s. The company insists modern rolling encryption codes prevent replay attacks from succeeding in almost all vehicles currently on roads.

Nonetheless, even the possibility of older cars remaining vulnerable may be enough to justify the ban for Canadian authorities. Police data confirms vehicle theft crimes have surged over 20% year-over-year, with high-tech thefts increasingly reported. For car owners and insurers, the financial and emotional damages remain immense regardless of how thieves manage to drive away with vehicles.

Banning hacker devices represents just one prong of Canada’s broader strategy to combat auto theft. The government is also investing in prevention education and providing new resources and training to help police catch thieves and break up black market rings profiting off stolen car parts.

With the Flipper Zero crackdown set to be formalized later this year, authorities are optimistic they can reverse the troubling tide of tech-enabled car crime across the country.