Unlocking / Rooting your phone is now illegal

[Oldgamer]

I just find this absurd. How many of you opened your smart phone and rooted it? How many of you just wanted to get all the "bloat" off your phone by doing this? I mean after you paid for the phone, it is yours right? Just like any other computer you should have the right to customize it for you.

I understand if during your 2 year contract period the carrier is still subsidizing the cost of your phone, but even so this seems very heavy handed and on the absurd side.

http://gizmodo.com/5978982/unlockin...paign=e457d9f31d-UA-142218-3&utm_medium=email

 

[frowertr]

Another law on the books that will never be enforced.

Who cares... Root away...

 

[Oldgamer]

Another law on the books that will never be enforced.

Who cares... Root away...

LOL

As one of my friends said, this will just make it that much more fun..!

I wonder how they would enforce, especially for those who are past their contract. Apparently the Corps want money to unlock your phone, and want to keep you from getting the spyware off your phone.

 

[Bowfinger]

A government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations. And yes, Democrats are just as complicit in this as Republicans.

 

[NoStateofMind]

lol absurd!

This is a meaningless law. Busy work for politicians I guess.

 

[Oldgamer]

How are they going to enforce this anyway? Are they going to put people in jail for this??

and yea.. corporations are seriously eroding our rights in this Country..

 

[Bowfinger]

How are they going to enforce this anyway? Are they going to put people in jail for this??

and yea.. corporations are seriously eroding our rights in this Country..

Rooting your phone is now considered a violation of the DMCA. I expect this means that not only can your carrier charge you for breaching your contract, but they can also now seek criminal prosecution for circumventing Digital Rights Management devices (i.e., copy controls). Only time will tell how many corrupt prosecutors are willing to pursue such BS.

 

[TheVrolok]

Absurdity continues.

 

[blackangst1]

DMCA: Drilling Mainstream Consumers' Asses.

 

[fleshconsumed]

Another law on the books that will never be enforced.

Who cares... Root away...

It doesn't matter that it may never be enforced. This law shouldn't be on the books. It is an unjust law, it is criminal, it's a legalized theft. Customer pays for the phone, the phone is his to use however he wants to. He paid for it. Even if he breaks the contract early he still pays for the phone in the form of hefty ETF. What this law says is you paid for the phone, but it still belongs to us, you can't use it on another carrier, we won't allow you to. It's not just BS, it's criminal behavior legalized.

 

[frowertr]

It doesn't matter that it may never be enforced. This law shouldn't be on the books. It is an unjust law, it is criminal, it's a legalized theft. Customer pays for the phone, the phone is his to use however he wants to. He paid for it. Even if he breaks the contract early he still pays for the phone in the form of hefty ETF. What this law says is you paid for the phone, but it still belongs to us, you can't use it on another carrier, we won't allow you to. It's not just BS, it's criminal behavior legalized.

I agree with everything you said. It's just that I have bigger mountains to die on that worring about some bullshit law that says it's illegal to unlock your phone.

I'll continue to root MY phone and those that tell me I can't can suck it...

 

[BoomerD]

We were talking about this on another site. Rubycon opined the following:

They would probably just lock the device and it would display a message of illegal use.

just gives the carrier an extra level of control

the phones sold at full price unlocked would have "clean" ESNs

a "touched" ESN would be suspicious and if blacklisted it would not activate over a network, etc. shit like that

I suspect she's on the right track. No black helicopters will come after you for unlocking/rooting your phone, but it MIGHT be blocked from service.

Is it right? I dunno...but "We the People" have been kicked to the curb. Our government now serves "We the Corporations."

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Title seems a little misleading unless I'm interpreting it wrong. I didn't see anywhere that the article said rooting is now illegal. The whole unlocking thing is retarded tho. If you're still under contract the *maybe* this would work, but as a whole, I think the law is just bullshit. Politicians have far greater things to worry about than this shit

 

[Oldgamer]

I agree with everything you said. It's just that I have bigger mountains to die on that worring about some bullshit law that says it's illegal to unlock your phone.

I'll continue to root MY phone and those that tell me I can't can suck it...

I totally get what you are saying, but keep this in mind if we are all apathetic to these little laws being passed because we feel it does'nt really affect us ie; "you will do it anyway and they can suck it"..eventually they will start going after people with great fervor and things could escalate to very serious consequences for people that are caught. That could be you.

Never underestimate these laws and the people (Corporations) behind them. Apathy is what eventually causes all of us to lose our basic rights.

 

[Oldgamer]

Title seems a little misleading unless I'm interpreting it wrong. I didn't see anywhere that the article said rooting is now illegal. The whole unlocking thing is retarded tho. If you're still under contract the *maybe* this would work, but as a whole, I think the law is just bullshit. Politicians have far greater things to worry about than this shit

Yes it is let me dig up the actual legal verbiage for you so you can read it.

Ok I found this but doesnt say what the fines and jail time are.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/1...ed-phone-unlocks-will-be-a-thing-of-the-past/

 

[NoStateofMind]

We were talking about this on another site. Rubycon opined the following:









I suspect she's on the right track. No black helicopters will come after you for unlocking/rooting your phone, but it MIGHT be blocked from service.

Is it right? I dunno...but "We the People" have been kicked to the curb. Our government now serves "We the Corporations."

But then the carrier doesn't get paid. Carrier damages owners credit. Owner takes to court. We get the results 5yrs later.

 

[BoomerD]

But then the carrier doesn't get paid. Carrier damages owners credit. Owner takes to court. We get the results 5yrs later.

If you drop the carrier now, the carrier doesn't get paid...unless they come after you for the early termination fees...

Want to root/unlock your phone? Buy an unlocked phone at full price...

 

[Harabec]

In Israel it's been illegal since the start of 2011 for carriers to sell LOCKED phones, and they have to unlock any phone you give them (one that was purchased prior to 2011) free of charge.
Why? Because someone thought it'd benefit the people...
*caugh*

 

[fstime]

In Israel it's been illegal since the start of 2011 for carriers to sell LOCKED phones, and they have to unlock any phone you give them (one that was purchased prior to 2011) free of charge.
Why? Because someone thought it'd benefit the people...
*caugh*

This is the United States, lawmakers do what benefits large corporations via listening to the multi-million(billion?) dollar lobbyist industry.

Forget the lowly peasants they are supposed to represent with their meager "thousands" of dollars.

 

[WelshBloke]

Rooting isnt illegal

Carrier unlocking is.

Different things.

not that making carrier unlocking is any less bizarre though.

 

[JEDIYoda]

In Israel it's been illegal since the start of 2011 for carriers to sell LOCKED phones, and they have to unlock any phone you give them (one that was purchased prior to 2011) free of charge.
Why? Because someone thought it'd benefit the people...
*caugh*

That is true...shalom!!

 

[dawheat]

Rooting isnt illegal

Carrier unlocking is.

Different things.

not that making carrier unlocking is any less bizarre though.

This is correct right? I'd be more concerned about a law about rooting vs network unlock - though both are lame.

So it basically says the carrier has to unlock for you? I know it's pretty easy to call AT&T, say your traveling internationally, and they provide the unlock code easily.

 

[WelshBloke]

This is correct right? I'd be more concerned about a law about rooting vs network unlock - though both are lame.

So it basically says the carrier has to unlock for you? I know it's pretty easy to call AT&T, say your traveling internationally, and they provide the unlock code easily.

Whether they'll be so willing to do it if they know theres no other avenue for you is another matter though.

 

[Oldgamer]

http://m.theatlantic.com/business/a...now-a-crime-to-unlock-your-smartphone/272552/

Quote: "But there is another matter of critical importance: Laws that can place people in jail should be passed by Congress, not by the decree of the Librarian of Congress. We have no way to hold the Librarian of Congress accountable for crazy laws. There are still plenty of crazy laws passed by elected officials, but at least we can then vote them out of office."

There are numerous other problems with the DMCA. As I explained in an essay for*Cato Unbound:"The DMCA bars developing, selling, providing, or even linking to technologies that play legal DVDs purchased in a different region, or to convert a DVD you own to a playable file on your computer. Because no licensed DVD playing software is currently available for the Linux operating system, if a Linux user wishes to play a DVD that they have legally bought, they cannot legally play it on their own computer.In order to regulate this anti-circumvention market, the DCMA authorizes injunctions that seem to fly in the face of First Amendment jurisprudence on prior restraint. The DMCA also makes companies liable for copyright infringement if it doesn't remove content upon notification that someone believes the content infringes their copyright - this creates a very strong business interest in immediately taking down anything that anyone claims is infringing to not be liable. Christina Mulligan's essay for Copyright Unbalanced details how in mid-July 2012 a Mitt Romney campaign ad hosted on Youtube was forcibly removed from the site, and in 2008 Youtube blocked several John McCain ads for more than 10 days. As Mulligan details, the ads were legitimate under "fair use." Allowing individual people to veto political speech that they do not like stifles free expression and political dialogue and even if a rare occurrence under the DMCA should not be taken likely. There are also other examples of abuse, Mulligan details that one group had all Justin Bieber songs removed from Youtube as a prank."And if you thought this was bad, provisions of the DMCA relating to anti-circumvention are part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Treaty - and the United States is the party asking for it as part of the negotiations. Placing it in the treaty will enact our dysfunctional system on an international level in countries that don't want it, and it will "re-codify" the DMCA in an international treaty making it significantly more difficult to revise as necessary. Copyright laws are domestic laws and they need to be flexible enough to adjust accordingly to not inhibit new innovation.

 

[88keys]

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United Corporations of America, and to the plutocracy for which it stands; one nation under surveillance, divided? with tyranny and ignorance for all.