Franconian Beer Message Board
Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US |
| Posted by DonS on 2013-01-29 06:55:38 |
| The 'lock' we're discussing isn't the same thing as the 'lockout' you experience when you don't enter the correct PIN code after a few tries, when the phone is now locked against further attempts at PIN entry. This 'lock' is between the installed SIM card and the phone itself; in essence, it's part of the original service contract entered into with the mobile service provider, and unlocking the phone in order to escape this contract is the issue. Unlocking the phone in this case frees it from being tied to the installed SIM card, and allows the user to freely swap out SIM cards from other vendors. Considering that many vendors subsidise the cost of the phone when selling these contracts, unlocking such phones have their own ethical issues. Note, too, that once the contract expires on a given phone, it is quite permissible to call the service provider and get the unlock code (a longish numeric code that must be entered in perfect error-free sequence), at which point one is free to enter this code and install the SIM card - or cards - of one's choice. I have two phones on which I've done this very thing. And, of course, the whole issue is obviated by simply buying an unsubsidised, unlocked phone to start with! The issue J. has had with forgetting the PIN is solved by not entering the PIN at all, going home, digging up the original contract materials (including the little plastic carrier that the SIM card came with), and finding the Personal User Key (PUK), a backup number that will re-enable the phone in order to enter the correct PIN. All of this comes under the rubric of security measures. Woe betide you if you binned all those little bits of paper and plastic the phone (or SIM card) originally came with! The back-street shops that unlock your phone are operating in a grey area, legally speaking. In the USA, that area is no longer grey. Unlocking a phone still under contract is now illegal. The enforcement mechanism is another matter entirely. |
| Followups: |
 Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by Mike B. on 2013-01-29 07:53:55 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by barry on 2013-01-29 09:44:05 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by DonS on 2013-01-29 13:14:23 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by Fred Waltman on 2013-01-29 23:09:36 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by Mike B. on 2013-01-30 04:50:17 |
| Unlocking Cell Phones Now Illegal in the US by Fred Waltman on 2013-01-30 06:59:02 |