One Year Later, Unlocking Your Phone Is Still a Crime

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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This one comes from the archives of the “How soon we forget” department. If you can recall back about a year, you would remember a big flap over the Library of Congress ruling it a crime to unlock your cellphone. Most of the major companies looked the other way to save their own interests, but guess what….the law is still on the books and is still enforceable.

One year later, despite an overwhelming consensus in favor of unlocking, unlocking your phone, without permission from your carrier, is still a crime.
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Makes sense in a country ran by corporations through a proxy called the US GOV.
 
JaiWebb said:
Makes sense in a country ran by corporations through a proxy called the US GOV.
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And that's the big problem, and IMO the only way to end it is to completely revamp campaign finances and completely eliminate special interest group lobbies. The only thing the politicians should be worrying about is balancing the will of the people with the common good.
 
Buy unlocked or go with a carrier that unlocks. Verizon phones are all unlocked on GSM(You may have to be a customer for 3 months though), T-Mobile is the same after 3 months. The only ones who really don't do it are AT&T, may have changed but I haven't read about them, and Sprint.
 
Come on, isn't there better things to put your effort into? Schools, roads, etc? The country is broke and we're wasting time on cell phones?

(sorry had to from the California/cell phone thread)
 
Never really read the specifics on this "law". Is it illegal to unlock a phone you bought on eBay or Craigslist? Or does it only apply to phones you get under a contract or are still paying for?
 
sfsuphysics said:
Come on, isn't there better things to put your effort into? Schools, roads, etc? The country is broke and we're wasting time on cell phones?

(sorry had to from the California/cell phone thread)
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Yeah I know I was asking for that. But that only applies to California :D
 
sfsuphysics said:
Come on, isn't there better things to put your effort into? Schools, roads, etc? The country is broke and we're wasting time on cell phones?

(sorry had to from the California/cell phone thread)
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It is just a distraction for general public. We should be trying to get rid of our debt.
 
Am I the only one confused as to why the Library of Congress is the one making this ruling?
 
spugm1r3 said:
Am I the only one confused as to why the Library of Congress is the one making this ruling?
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Because one of the duties of the LoC is overseeing copyright....and exemptions to the DMCA are squarely the LoC's job. Every 3 years they post an exemptions list, and last time around the LoC didn't grant an exemption for carrier unlock.
 
Skripka said:
Because one of the duties of the LoC is overseeing copyright....and exemptions to the DMCA are squarely the LoC's job. Every 3 years they post an exemptions list, and last time around the LoC didn't grant an exemption for carrier unlock.
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Well then, learn something new every day.
 
and I could still care less about what they say. The phone companies are still getting their money from me. So I have no moral dilemma over it.
 
You bunch of Lowlife, filthy, phone unlocking criminals disgust me!


/tweaks permissions to remove obnoxious ones...

Huh, what? Nobody saw ...
 
Never really read the specifics on this "law". Is it illegal to unlock a phone you bought on eBay or Craigslist? Or does it only apply to phones you get under a contract or are still paying for?
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No, if you buy what they call a "legacy phone", someone's used shit, you can unlock it no problems. Some carriers will unlock on request, some sell already unlocked, etc.

The world has changed again in the last year since this was news. Many carriers are starting to go contract free, without a contract they will simply charge for service and the unlocking thing should become a non-issue.
 
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