Slashdot Mirror
In Defense of Disposable Cell Phones
SomeoneYouDontKnow writes: "Disposable cell phones are finally hitting the market, and it sure is refreshing to see a major media outlet like the Los Angeles Times debunk the insane rush toward a surveillence state as promoted by John Ashcroft. Read this column by Dave Wilson for a sensible breath of fresh air." Thoughtful points made here -- the payphone analogy rings true to me.
I don't see why everybody thinks the AG is an enemy of civil liberties. He's a staunch defender of the second amendment!
But the purchase transaction for the disposable phone still gives better trackability than a payphone, imho. (Not to mention the ease of snooping on cellnet versus tracing wire-calls)
Article sez:
You dial by speaking the number aloud through a combination earpiece/microphone.
Who guarantees me these things won't silently store an identifiable sample of your voice in them?
Actually, Hop-On Wireless, the first company rolling these out, claims to encourage recycling of them on their product page. You get refunded a deposit if you return the phone to a retailer instead of tossing it. Whether people will do this is anyone's guess.
Still, I like the product concept here. It definitely fills a niche. For instance, my parents live in a very rural area, so if their car breaks down, they could be stuck there for a long while before someone comes along. They're retired and don't want to pay for cell service, but they really could use one for emergencies. This would suit them nicely. They could keep it in the car and only use it for an emergency.
But to return to the original point of the article, I think it brings to the surface a crucial issue in our society: whether people have a right to communicate anonymously. I think they do. The government has no right to expect every one of our utterances to be tagged and logged for its perusal. The small amount of security that may only possibly be gained is far outweighed by the loss of freedom. Not a direct loss in the sense of criminalizing speech, but an indirect loss brought on by a chilling effect that will set in when people decline to say unpopular things because of a fear of who might be listening. Even if such information wasn't used in a legal proceeding, there is a greater risk that it would be used to indimidate, embarrass, and blackmail. It's been done many times before, and it will most certainly be done again.
That light you see at the end of the tunnel might be from an oncoming train.
The only disadvantage is, that outgoing calls are fairly expensive. Else then that, no restrictions apply (even international roaming works just fine).
Incoming calls are not only possible and free, one of the carriers even offers a measly (3cents or so) per minute reward for incoming calls.
A couple years ago the federal district attourney required, that purchasers of pre-payed cell phones can be identified. That idea was given up, since - although the palament agreed that it is an inconvenience for law enforcement - the bureaucratic hassle and the impact on commerce outweighed the federal cowboys' concerns.
Interestingly enough Switzerland doesn't seem to be infested by evil wrong-doers and grass can be bought (well not quite legally, but almost) in a couple hundred shops around the country. You don't need an anonymous cell phone to buy drugs.
Methinks, that the current histerya visible in the US is not very effective in combating the evil ones. It seems to be very effective though, in reducing everybodies quality of life.
ich bin der musikant
mit taschenrechner in der hand
kraftwerk
You can buy prepaid phones for about $60 at the local 7/11 here in Silicon Valley. They can call, receive, be recharged, and you can buy more airtime for them. That sounds more useful than a $30 originate-only phone.
Hop-On's pricing sucks. For $30, you get only 60 minutes of talk time. That's $0.50 per minute, or about 5x/10x higher than the going rate for billed cellular. It's a rip-off operation aimed at poor people.
That's a lot different from "Hm, it would be nice to be able to call home while I'm travelling without looking for a pay phone. But why should I get a service I won't use when I come home?" That's what the disposable phones are for.