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US House Passes Ban On Caller ID Spoofing

smarek writes "The 'Truth in Caller ID Act' passed the US House of Representatives on Wednesday. The legislation is trying to outlaw Caller ID spoofing. In some cases, this spoofing has led to individuals giving out information that has led to identity theft. Last year the NYPD discovered over 6,000 victims of Caller ID spoofing, who together lost a total of $15 million. A companion bill has already been passed by the Senate, and the two are on their way to 'informal conference to reconcile any differences.' The bill that results will most likely pass." PCWorld's coverage notes that callers will still be able to block their information entirely, and that the bill may have negative consequences for legitimate phone-related services, such as Google Voice.

2 of 171 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Yet another legal solution to a technical probl by Old97 · · Score: 1, Troll

    Aren't you missing the point? They need to make it illegal so they can prosecute the criminals. Sometimes it's this "little stuff" that trips the criminals up. Al Capone and income tax evasion is one example. Many other gangsters who were very likely guilty of murder only ended up in jail because of some other more minor crime.

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    Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most. - Clement Mok
  2. Re:Yet another legal solution to a technical probl by Shakrai · · Score: 0, Troll

    Get over it. This is an American site. This story is about an American law. This discussion is about American gun-control.

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    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.