Wow, that's outlandish. For some perspective this guy's hands would have been cut off in Saudi Arabia. At the end of the day (assuming this isn't some fake ad campaign) dude lost his right to privacy when he stole the laptop. The victim has a right to remotely control his property, especially when it has been stolen.
As for a crime lower than stealing my bicycle: That's crazy. Even if you have a bicycle worth more than your laptop, the loss of time and possible identity theft that could happen with a lost laptop more than outweighs the financial loss of either.
As for a crime lower than stealing my bicycle: That's crazy. Even if you have a bicycle worth more than your laptop, the loss of time and possible identity theft that could happen with a lost laptop more than outweighs the financial loss of either.