Hack Your Phone, Go to Jail

thodu writes: "This bill [Mobile Telephones (Re-Programming)] in the UK aims to make it illegal for anyone to change a GSM phone's IMEI number. Though the intention in this case is seemingly for the good (to track and prevent stolen phones from being used), the line between legitimate mods and illegal hacks is increasingly becoming blurred. What next - a bill to disallow modifying your PC ?"

Comments

Legitimate reasons for changing the IMEI?

[3.5 stripes]

Do you know of any, because I sure don't.

Why shouldn't something that only serves theives (as far as I can see) be illegal?

Re:Legitimate reasons for changing the IMEI?

[Queuetue]

Why shouldn't something that only serves theives (as far as I can see) be illegal?
Because it's already illegal to steal phone service. Removing freedoms without cause hurts everybody.

Also, a silly counter-example - I'm a hacker, and in my basement lab, I've set up my own shielded, isolated cell network, just for kicks. And I want to have phone# 000-000-0001 (Those not in the US, please translate into your own localized version). Just because I *want* to. Or as a scientific experiment, a science fair project, or to learn more about the world around me. Why should that be illegal?

Re:Legitimate reasons for changing the IMEI?

[sdjunky]

"If for every 1,000 hacks there is only 1 person doing it for scientific purposes then that one person has to pay the sacrifice for the greater good."

So if 1000 people want to map the human genome to devise some kind of malicious bio warfare and 1 scientist wants to find the cure for cancer. Then the scientist needs to be treated as a criminal while the criminals will just go underground to do their work anyway.

Sorry, but the logic doesn't seem sound in my opinion

Re:Legitimate reasons for changing the IMEI?

[yatest5]

Yes, there is a legitimate reason. You bought the phone, you own it, so you can reprogramme it if you want to. You own the phone. You don't need any more reasons.


Oh for FUCKS SAKE. Every time, the same old arguments.

Look, 1 Mr. Geek may want to do this. In fact, no, they wouldn't, but one assy /. user who will argue against anything does.

Being able to do this allows people to steal and use phones, thereby causing 1000's of crimes.

What is more important, your 'right' to modify the phone, or to stop little punks mugging kids for their phones?

Furthermore, the fact is, although it's 'illegal', if you just do it in your room, you are unlikely to be caught and prosecuted for it, as compared to, say, if you did it and tried to sell a mobile phone.

So STFU about your damn rights being impinged on, jesus.

Re:Legitimate reasons for changing the IMEI?

[AlgUSF]

It is not like changing your Phone #, it is more like changing the VIN number of your car. Which is very illegal. Sure you own the car, but why would you want to change the VIN # except for illegal purposes.

Re:Legitimate reasons for changing the IMEI?

[colmore]

Actually, you can scratch off the VIN and you can monitor police frequencies.

Blowing up your neighborhood is obviously illegal because, well, you blow up your neighborhood. Recklessly endangering others is illegal for very good reasons, and has nothing to do with modifying a telephone that you own.

I assume that the Iraq comment was a joke. But it's a good example. Just saying "society has rules" and not questioning those rules is a good way to end up in a nation where you can't criticize your leaders, religion, or society. I'm not the biggest patriot on my block, and I don't like the direction that America is heading in, but I'm sure glad that we're still (basically) free to live in (almost) any way that doesn't harm others.

Re:Legitimate reasons for changing the IMEI?

[shimmin]

You can scratch the VIN off your car, but if you do, you can't operate it on the public roadways. You own the car, you don't own the road.

You can leave your gas running, but if something catches fire, you're liable for arson. You own your house, but you don't own the neighborhood, and you don't own the fire department.

And in many jurisdictions, you can scan police frequencies. But you can't transmit on them. You don't own the airwaves.

Re:What's the legit use of this?

[MartinG]

Why would a person other than a thief want to change this?

The approach of illegalising things that have a potential "bad" use just because nobody can come straight out with a "good" use will end in disaster.

Defrauding telephone companies is already illegal. If some the telephone companies don't want this heppening then they should put it in their contracts. There is no need for new legislation.

The only reason this is happening IMO is to tie in with the RIP bill amendments that the UK government have already tried to rush through (thankfully, the changed were met with sufficient resistance to delay for a while)
The government wants to be able to track and record everyones movement by their mobile phone. And of course this ability will prevent all future terrorist attacks and rid the country of crime. Everyone will he happy and all will rejoice.

Re:/. people are paranoid

[Skiboricus]

I love it how people avoid any REAL discussion of events and possibilites by simply calling someone PARANOID.

10 years ago would you call someone paranoid if you were told that companies would market products that were implanted into your childrens skin so you could track them.

10 years ago would brand a person paranoid if your were told congress was debating a bill to allow companies to hack private citizens.

10 years ago would you call me paraniod if I told you people would be threatened with criminal penalities for reporting security bugs in software.

Debate, don't just label people.

Re:A good thing...

[liquidsin]

But it's already illegal to steal. Think hard. Does this law actually do anything more to deter thieves, or only make things illegal for tinkerers? If the only place this law will be applicable is on stolen phones, and stealing them is already illegal, then this law ultimately serves no purpose that couldn't be served by enforcing stiffer penalties on thieves.

Re:A good thing...

[FyRE666]

This will do nothing to stop mugging

Erm, I think it will have a VERY noticable effect on the blackmarket in reprogrammed phones. There are businesses that currently operate legitimately whose sole business is chaning the identity of [stolen] phones. The only reason anyone would wish to do this is to sell a stolen phone, there's no other purpose for it. Sure you might want to do this yourself, but why? It's not as though anything spectacular will happen!

Maybe you think anyone should be able to file off vehicle identification serial numbers too, or wire up their house with all the earth wires and live wires reversed?

Re:A good thing...

[mpe]

But it's already illegal to steal.

It's already also illegal to traffic in stolen goods, misrepresent stolen goods as legitimate, defraud telephone companies, DOS legitimate mobile users.

Does this law actually do anything more to deter thieves,

The bill states that it is expected to have litte effect of policing, prosecutors and courts.

this law ultimately serves no purpose that couldn't be served by enforcing stiffer penalties on thieves.

It's apparent purpose is to present the impression of a government "doing something". With passing redundant laws being a prefered option to something like more police...