Court Mulls Revealing Secret Government Plan To Cut Cell Phone Service

An anonymous reader writes with the latest in the ongoing legal battle over revealing details of Standing Operating Procedure 303, the government's plan to cut mobile phone service during an emergency. "A federal appeals court is asking the Obama administration to explain why the government should be allowed to keep secret its plan to shutter mobile phone service during 'critical emergencies.' The Department of Homeland Security came up with the plan—known as Standing Operating Procedure 303—after cellular phones were used to detonate explosives targeting a London public transportation system. SOP 303 is a powerful tool in the digital age, and it spells out a 'unified voluntary process for the orderly shut-down and restoration of wireless services during critical emergencies such as the threat of radio-activated improvised explosive devices.'"

Comments

'fail-dangerous' device.

[Kaenneth]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1...

"The drives even have their own built-in GSM access. If the signal goes quiet for too long, the drive is destroyed."

Any GSM triggered bomb could also be rigged with a 'fail-dangerous' to detonate if signals are blocked.

Fail deadly

[Firethorn]

It's already happened...

An unexpected and unwanted text message from a wireless company prematurely exploded a would-be suicide bomber’s vest bomb in Russia New Year’s Eve, inadvertently thwarting a planned attack on revelers in Moscow, according to The Daily Telegraph.

It's also happened in Egypt and a couple other countries that I'm aware of.

Oh, and some are talking about having the system 'fail deadly'. The 'easy' fix to that is that you keep the 'network connection' up, you simply disable the servers - IE no calls go into the area, nor any texts. You see signal, but all anybody calling you gets is(ideally), 4 rings and voicemail.