Mississippi Makes Caller ID Spoofing Illegal

marklyon writes "HB 872, recently signed into law by Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, makes Caller ID spoofing illegal. The law covers alterations to the caller's name, telephone number, or name and telephone number that is shown to a recipient of a call or otherwise presented to the network. The law applies to PSTN, wireless and VoIP calls. Penalties for each violation can be up to $1,000 and one year in jail. Blocking of caller identification information is still permitted."

Comments

Blocked

[r_jensen11]

Who is this Blocked person, and why does he keep calling me?

My cell number still has the previous owners name

[zero_out]

Despite repeated attempts to get my cell phone company to change the name that shows up when I call someone, it still shows that person's name. So in this case, who would be breaking the law? Common sense would say that it's the cell phone company's fault because they control what name is shown, and I have tried to get it changed. Unfortunately, common sense doesn't apply to most laws. Could I now call someone in Mississippi, report to that state's government that the name is showing up incorrectly, and get my cell phone company to pay a fine every time I make such a call? That would get them to change it real fast.