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Broad Bills to Protect 'Communications Services'

Posted by michael on from the overreaching dept.

mttlg writes "According to Freedom to Tinker, MA, TX, SC, FL, GA, AK, TN, and CO have introduced similar bills that would make it illegal to possess, use, etc. "any communication device to receive ... any communication service without the express consent or express authorization of the communication service provider" or "to conceal ... from any communication service provider ... the existence or place of origin or destination of any communication." (Additional legalese removed for the sake of brevity.) This would seem to outlaw NAT, VPNs, and many other security measures. In other words, don't secure your communications, just sue if you don't like who receives them." The bills define 'communication service' as just about any sort of telecom service that is provided for a charge or fee. In effect, they would extend the already-extant laws relating to theft of cable TV services to any telecom service. For example, if your ISP charges per computer connected, using a router/NAT device would be illegal if these became law.

4 of 524 comments (clear)

  1. Doh... by }InFuZeD{ · · Score: 1, Redundant

    "any communication device to receive ... any communication service without the express consent or express authorization of the communication service provider"...

    Now my computer is illegal to own too =/

  2. Boy! by Pig+Hogger · · Score: 2, Redundant

    Boy I'm glad the network I secure behind a NAT firewall is not in the USA!!!

  3. Re:in other news... by (54)T-Dub · · Score: 0, Redundant

    ROFL

    --

    "I can not bring myself to believe that if knowledge presents danger, the solution is ignorance" - Isaac Asimov
  4. Re:This is frightening by dAzED1 · · Score: 0, Redundant
    "Mind quoting the section of what bill that says..."

    I didn't ask for interpretations. I asked for you to quote actual portions of bills that actually *say* that. Please. I'd love to see it.