You've Got Indictments

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."

Comments

who would seriously sign up for this?

[paulsomm]

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

Re:who would seriously sign up for this?

[spiritraveller]

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.

Re:who would seriously sign up for this?

[MillionthMonkey]

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

So you could assign a different cool ringtone to each charge defined by South Korea's criminal code. You don't want "Slandering the State" to sound too much like a charge of "Obstruction of Business". But most people will probably want to set the ring tone to vibrate anyway, in case they get indicted during an important meeting.

Re:who would seriously sign up for this?

[LilGuy]

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...

Re:who would seriously sign up for this?

[SilverspurG]

Will this cut lawyer fees?

indictment via SMS?

[Daneurysm]

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?

SPAM Indictments

[Anonymous Coward]

Nice, now they will get SPAM indictments as well.

Re:SPAM Indictments

[ToasterofDOOM]

Greetings Sir or Madam:
      I am the owner of a large cell-phone corporation in Nigeria and we have recently discovered that you owe us (Poser Mobile) 3 million US Dollars ($3,000,000) and have not payed up. You are hereby summoned to court tuesday behind the McDonalds on Old 41. Remember to bring all your valuables.
Have a nice day,
Poser mobile

**It just doesn't flow off the tongue (out of the fingers?), sorry**

target audience

[Anonymous Coward]

no good for first offenders, but should make career criminals much more efficient...

oh how fun

[jefe7777]

"YOU'VE GOT JAIL!"

How the U.S. would do it.

[dada21]

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?

WTF?

[thehickcoder]

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

You have got to be kidding...

Next year...
South Korea embarks on a new plan to save law enforcement costs. South Korean police will no longer make arrests. Offenders will simply recieve an email instructing them to report to their nearest police station.

Insta-Trace

[mikeage]

ObSimpsons

Bart: Dad, you don't have ten thousand dollars.
Homer: Eh. How are they going to find me?
        [at PBS Pledge Central, the "mercury" in a thermometer
        display rises all the way to the top and rings a bell]
White: Folks, we've just reached our goal of ten thousand, seven
        hundred dollars, and it's all thanks to one generous
        caller ... who didn't leave his name.
Homer: [laughs]
White: But thanks to Insta-Trace, we've learned it's Homer
        Simpson, of 742 Evergreen Terrace. [a picture of Homer
        appears on the screen. He screams]
Homer: Oh, why did I register with Insta-Trace?

http://www.snpp.com/episodes/BABF11

Am I wrong?

[iamdrscience]

I've only had a little personal experience, but I always thought that letters like these from the courts (indictments, notices of arraignment dates, etc.) were usually sent certified return receipt so that they can be certain that you've gotten the letter.

Am I wrong or are things just different in South Korea?

1984?

[digitaldc]

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.