Companies are also given the option of being able to remotely wipe sensitive files.

BBC: Blackberry 10 handset to launch first in the UK

It was forced to wipe its entire files, and painstakingly replace them from its back-up system, after technical staff the scale of the problem.

BBC: You are in: UK

The industry has also been clamping down on universities, asking them to warn students who use computers on campus of their criminal liability if they download music, and to wipe out illegally stored files.

ECONOMIST: How to pay the piper