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Your phone is NOT your property....apparently

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Wade

Wade

FeralNormal master
It's Now Illegal to Unlock Your Cellphone - ABC News

Wait a minute didn't I purchase the damn thing? it's not like I leased it. thank you loc

Your opinion on this alice ???

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Well, it only applies to subsidized phones, so if you buy your phone outright or finish your contract, then it's still legal. I have a hard time seeing it enforced amongst individual users, I think it's going to be used more for going after unauthorized resellers and damn are the penalties steep for them, up to a $500,000 fine and potential prison time, ouch.
 
Muadib said:
Well, it only applies to subsidized phones, so if you buy your phone outright or finish your contract, then it's still legal. I have a hard time seeing it enforced amongst individual users, I think it's going to be used more for going after unauthorized resellers and damn are the penalties steep for them, up to a $500,000 fine and potential prison time, ouch.
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A valid point and for the record I'm with tmobile and they have always been good about providing an unlock number after a few months of purchasing a phone, thus avoiding stiff roaming fees if you travel overseas which I used to do, but I guess it's a good risk because you are locked in on contract and given the stiff fees are unlikely to bail and once you are done you should be able to do what you want including tossing it over an overpass. But if I purchased a phone and I'm tied into a contract and in am liable for stiff fees if I want out for whatever reason including moving out of the country I should be able to do what I want with the phone. If I could get out of a contract without recriminations to myself I could see the fairness in it. It may not be a fair analogy but i see it not unlike purchasing a home or car and being forbidden from making modifications until the contract is paid in full.
 
Actually you can disregard that last statement because if you did pay the early termination fee it would be a moot point whether you had permission or not, I mean it wouldn't matter at which point you did the unlock with or without permission because if the intent is to use another carrier then in the end I guess it's all the same, still it's nice to have an unlocked phone for overseas travel though, just pop in another sim card for your trip and them when you get back home put the carriers back in.
 
Unfortunately, consumers only get what consumers demand. This can be done with collective purchasing power, or petitioning for laws
that keep us from being craftily bilked.

A little OT, but The last time I checked, it was it was illegal to so much as possess as receiver capable of listening in on cell phone signals that float through our houses, yards and bodies. The privacy issue is obvious. On the other hand--the damned signals are coming to me, not the other way around. Maybe this dynamic has changed with today's encrypted systems or whatever. Dunno.
 
Muadib said:
Well, it only applies to subsidized phones, so if you buy your phone outright or finish your contract, then it's still legal. I have a hard time seeing it enforced amongst individual users, I think it's going to be used more for going after unauthorized resellers and damn are the penalties steep for them, up to a $500,000 fine and potential prison time, ouch.
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Wow that really makes me second guess selling my old rooted phone?!
 
stellaFEEN said:
Wow that really makes me second guess selling my old rooted phone?!
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Nah, I wouldn't worry about it for two reasons, 1. since it's old I'm going to assume that you aren't currently in a contract and that means it's yours to do whatever you want with, and 2. rooting and unlocking are two different things, rooting can usually be accomplished through either a third party program or a combination of button presses or sometimes both while unlocking requires a specific code that you have to get from the phones manufacturer or your service provider. Rooting isn't illegal if you're under a contract, unlocking now is, though only while you're under a contract. Hope this helps alleviate any nervousness.
 
I don't own a cell phone. That solves the whole problem ... and most other problems with them as well, except for the lousy radiation and distracted drivers. I heard on the news last year that distracted driving from cell phones became the leading cause of accidents ... even more than alcohol. So even if you don't get a brain tumor, it's still a bloody health hazard, and now so many people are hooked on the instant gratification that we're stuck with the stupid things ... it's big money. Where's my tin foil hat gone anyway ... :cool:
 
ufology said:
I don't own a cell phone. That solves the whole problem ... and most other problems with them as well, except for the lousy radiation and distracted drivers. I heard on the news last year that distracted driving from cell phones became the leading cause of accidents ... even more than alcohol. So even if you don't get a brain tumor, it's still a bloody health hazard, and now so many people are hooked on the instant gratification that we're stuck with the stupid things ... it's big money. Where's my tin foil hat gone anyway ... :cool:
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I am manufacturing foil hats at the present moment. I only wish they were sold at the Paracast store and/or blessed by Gene. I do use my cell phone quite often and it does piss me off at times. It seems to be another way to make the public pay in just to be legitimate members of society. As we lose our rights for phone usage the bills continue to increase like some sort of macabre linear graph going down with the bottom most point being general satisfaction. I blame lame Zukerberg.

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stellaFEEN said:
I am manufacturing foil hats at the present moment ...
... I blame lame Zukerberg.
Click to expand...

Manufacturing tin foil hats? :) I actually have one a s part of a costume ( The Guy in the Tin Foil Hat ™ ). The exclusive pyramid design focuses pyramid energy into your head to keep your brain sharp ( get in touch and we'll arrange for official licensing for your manufacturing ).

Oh and Zuckerberg ... If the movie Social Network can be believed, there's no reason good enough to have a Facebook account, not to mention that many investors feel ripped off about the way the company went public and then cashed-in. Did I mention I have no facebook account either :cool:.

Facebook CIA Connection: Facebook And It's Connections To The C.I.A. And D.A.R.P.A. by Brian S Staveley - The Real News Online.com
 
stellaFEEN said:
Wow that really makes me second guess selling my old rooted phone?!
Click to expand...

The non-ownership is the least of your worries. Apart from the brain tumors, all the contracts I've ever looked at make you liable for paying the legal bills if some third party ( someone you don't even know ) sues the provider in connection with you for any reason ( could be as simple as you accidentally pocket dialed someone ).
 
Wow that Facebook article is pretty scary, I made my hat with rounded edges hoping apple wont have that patent like they do on the I-phone
 
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