I thought this has to be an article from the Onion, but alas, it is from the Atlantic...and it is real...very real.....It is now Illegal for you to keep your cell phone when changing carriers.....and not only is it illegal, the penalties are pretty severe..More after the squiggly...http://www.theatlantic.com/...
That's right starting this weekend ,it is illegal to unlock new phones to make them available on other carriers.
I have deep sympathy for any individual who happens to get jail time for this offense. I am sure that other offenders would not take kindly to smart phone unlockers.
But seriously: it is embarassing and unacceptable that we are at the mercy of prosecutorial and judicial discretion to avoid the implementation of draconian laws that could implicate average Americans in a crime subject to a $500,000 fine and up to five years in jail
Wait a minute , did I read that right?? Yes, that's the letter of the new law, but surely they would never impose those kinds of penalties would they?? After the Aaron Swartz travesty, anything is possible...
While people's fears may be a bit unfounded, why do we accept a system where we allow such discretionary authority? If you or your child were arrested for this, would it comfort you to know that the prosecutor or the judge could technically throw the book at you? Would you relax assuming they wouldn't make an example out of you or your kid? When as a society did we learn to accept the federal government having such Orwellian power?
So in a society that has yet to see one wall st. crook or bankster spend one second behind bars...we have the real possiblity of someone spending five years in jail for wanting to get a better deal on their smartphone.... I mean it is much easier to go after someone who can't fight back...
I guess it's Okay to tank the economy, but try and take some business away from a corporation, and it's Katie bar the prosecutorial doors!
I would call my congressman, but I don't have much minutes left, and I still have two years to go on my cell phone contract.......