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You've Got Indictments

Posted by samzenpus on from the what-could-go-wrong dept.

Lam1969 writes "Reuters reports that South Korean prosecutors have started a program to start sending indictment notices via SMS. The program was started partly because of the high penetration of mobile phones among the South Korean population (75%, according to the article), and also because prosecutors want to save money by cutting back on paper mailings. One potential hitch in the program: You have to apply to the service in order to receive your indictment electronically."

9 of 119 comments (clear)

  1. who would seriously sign up for this? by paulsomm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Seriously, why would anyone make it easier for themselves to be indicted?

    1. Re:who would seriously sign up for this? by spiritraveller · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It doesn't make it easier to be indicted. It just makes it easier for you to find out that you've been indicted. There are many reasons why someone might want quick notice that they've been indicted. For instance, if the person is not already out on bond, they will probably want to turn themselves in asap to avoid an inconvenient and embarrassing arrest.

    2. Re:who would seriously sign up for this? by LilGuy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Exactly. On the other hand, they might turn on the "emergency" gps locator as well. If you're going to flee the country tho, you might as well ditch your phone or give it to some random person on the street...

      --

      You're nothing; like me.
  2. indictment via SMS? by Daneurysm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    One potential hitch in the program: You have to apply to the service in order to receive your indictment electronically."

    Uh, yeah...where do I sign up?

  3. oh... by User+956 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Reuters reports that South Korean prosecutors have started a program to start sending indictment notices via SMS ... One potential hitch in the program: You have to apply to the service in order to receive your indictment electronically."

    Ok... so you have to *sign up* to be indicted electronically? wtf? We can't even get people to sign up for FasTrak toll payment, much less any form of electronic justice.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  4. How the U.S. would do it. by dada21 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    As someone who has been on the good and bad side of government letters, I think I know how the U.S. will take advantage of SMS notices.

    First, they'll create a US$40 billion law that will help the IRS notify taxpayers of refunds they haven't received. Of course, the majority of this money will be lost and forgotten and taxpayers who sign up will get little more than a notification SMS -- if even that.

    Second, ten years later, they'll bring back the system but this time they'll use it to notify taxpayers of deliquency -- after spending another US$100 billion to "fix" the system.

    Third, they'll repeat the SMS message at least 20 times more than necessary, due to a bug, and when the taxpayer comes to pay their bill, they'll find out that they owe 20 times the original amount because the IRS is sure they would never send 20 notices of the exact same bill due to the same person unless that person actually owed the entire amount.

    Computers don't make mistakes, right?

  5. 1984? by digitaldc · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is technology and information that has gone to the power of the police state. In the forseeable future, no one will be able to break the law and get away with it.
    Pretty soon we will be living in houses with video screens on walls and will be constantly told that in order to have peace, you must have war...oh wait a minute...um nevermind.

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
    1. Re:1984? by DJCF · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So... they're doing something which has, for all time, been done using paper... using SMS. And this is the herald of 1984? Then I guess we'd better all bow down to Big Brother.

  6. And North Korea is considered the crazy one ? by Crashmarik · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seriously, Theres more than a little to be said about making the state at least spare the cost of a certified letter to start the process of removing your liberty. Many parts of society don't need to be more efficient and IMHO this is one of them.