The present invention relates to systems and methods that employ various mechanisms to selectively disable mobile device functionality. In general, mobile devices can be utilized to store personal and/or highly sensitive information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, credit card numbers and the like. If the mobile device is lost or stolen, data stored within the device can be accessed by an unauthorized user; and, thus, any personal and/or highly sensitive information can be obtained. In order to mitigate unauthorized access, the subject invention provides a disabling component that communicates with the lost or stolen device to render data stored thereon inaccessible. Further, the data can be stored in local or remote locations to backup stored information, thereby creating a more robust and reliable method of storing information important to the device owner. These features provide enhancements over conventional mobile device security techniques.