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Proposed Law Would Require ID To Buy Prepaid Phones
Hugh Pickens writes "The Washington Post reports that Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) have introduced legislation that would require buyers to present identification when purchasing a prepaid cellphone and require phone companies to keep the information on file, as they do with users of landline phones and subscription-based cellphones. 'This proposal is overdue because for years, terrorists, drug kingpins, and gang members have stayed one step ahead of the law by using prepaid phones that are hard to trace,' says Schumer. Civil liberties advocates have concerns about the proposal, saying there must be a role for anonymous communications in a free society, adding that the space for such anonymous or pseudonymous communications has been narrowed since pay phones, for example, have largely disappeared."
I guess we couldn't use fake IDs to circumvent this, now could we?
"Um, hey, Fred, while you're at Best Buy, could you pick me up a throwaway phone? I'm going on vacation and don't want to
take my RAZR with me to jihad-camp"
Sigh. Security theatre is not secure.
Support FSF: Stop thinking with your wallet, and think with your imagination. (cc/non-commercial)
But what will Michael do in his crazy antics in Miami? He usually needs like 3 prepaid phones for every job. It will kill off one my favorite shows!
Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
The wire called, they want their idea back.
Clearly, the only people who would object to such legislation are criminals.
Those of us who aren't doing anything illegal would have absolutely no reason to fear the loss of anonymous communication.
Wouldn't that actually prove that all this is going on with El Presidente's consent? He's buying the phones, they work for him! Honestly, the man has the largest network...wow! The richest man in the world is Mexican and runs a wireless company...coincidence? Texas better watch out!
Which party is that? The two sponsors represents both major parties.
Yup, that's the one
Being a spelling & grammar Nazi is a sign you do not poses the intelligence to contribute to the conversation
Sorry, I didn't expect you to erase my second line and then write it again in reply.
"You mean if'n we all took up arms against the gov'ment they'd turn off my power and I couldn't go home and watch the Idol after a day of shootin feds? And pretty much all business would stop so I couldn't go to the Wally World or McDonalds? ...I think I'll just vote for the Republicans like Rush sez."
There's a US?!
Si senor, hay Estados Unidos!
You do NOT need to give the phone company an ID for a landline.
How did you not give them your address?
I gave them a fake address. Still waiting for them to show up to install it, though...
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Well, at least it would be difficult for a drug kingpin to acquire the services of a desparate crackhead. Oh, wait ...
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
So you're taking away the my freedom to have legal anonymous communication in order to catch only the stupid criminals?
Sounds like a bad trade-off to me.
well think of it from congress's point of view: locking up the stupid criminals means less competition for elected office, whereas letting the smart ones run free ensures a continued source of campaign contributions.
how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
I use it turn lights off and open cans.
Sorry, I didn't expect you to erase my second line
And worse yet, he wrote it again in reply! ;)
(and got more mod points that you for what was then redundant, which is funny in a cosmic way, if you think about it.)
I plan on selling prepaid phones on eBay at a large markup. :V
Libertarians somehow believe that private businesses should be stronger than governments but weaker than individuals.