How about we start by forcing telecoms to not allow any fake caller ID from their network?
How about we not form our society into a jail?
FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
331–340 of 417 posts
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#332This has been tried in Mexico at least twice - crooks are still finding ways to have burners and smuggle anonymous phones into jails etc.
It's not about stopping crime, it's about control.
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#333Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problem of citizens having anonymous internet connectivity.
The free anonymous internet was only ever a ruse to get people to use it so the CIA could spy on them. DARPA, folks, created a “free as in beer” global surveillance network and we all bought it. Not that we didn’t get anything in return but the idea that the worlds foremost military industrial complex just gave this to the world because they loved us is laughable.
Huh? DARPA created something to help retain communication and coordination capabilities for our government in event of nuclear attack.
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#334As a Russian: huh, you guys could still just buy a sim card without any kind of identification? Impressive. We had that ID requirement introduced way back in the 00s. Even EU countries seem to require an ID now. When I traveled to France and Belgium in 2024, I bought a French tourist sim card, and the carrier kept sending me some rather insistent messages that my line would get disconnected if I don't upload my passp…
It seems to depend a lot. It's kind of hard in Germany - they wanted my permanent address. I didn't find France as difficult. Iceland didn't care. Italy wanted my passport. Chile, you virtually needed to be a citizen, as I recall.
In Japan you need to ID as a resident to get a phone number that can make calls, but anyone can get an anonymous data-only SIM
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#335Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Chile, you virtually needed to be a citizen, as I recall. I heard something similar about Russia after recent changes actually, it could as well be impossible for non-residents so tourists just stick with international roaming and public wifi. IIRC there's a catch-22 situation where you need a Gosuslugi (online government services portal) account to buy a sim, but you need a Russian phone number to sign up for one.…
But of course, the public Wifi also requires authentication. With, you guessed it, a phone number.
The first and last time I was in Russia was in 2019, passing by Moscow airport, and you already required a phone number to use the public WiFi, but any foreign number was OK.
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#336As a Russian: huh, you guys could still just buy a sim card without any kind of identification? Impressive. We had that ID requirement introduced way back in the 00s. Even EU countries seem to require an ID now. When I traveled to France and Belgium in 2024, I bought a French tourist sim card, and the carrier kept sending me some rather insistent messages that my line would get disconnected if I don't upload my passp…
It seems to depend a lot. It's kind of hard in Germany - they wanted my permanent address. I didn't find France as difficult. Iceland didn't care. Italy wanted my passport. Chile, you virtually needed to be a citizen, as I recall.
Btw you can still buy an anonymous SIM card with cash in the Netherlands in pretty much any supermarket/kiosk/whatever. And if you just need Internet, I haven't had any eSIM provider try to verify my ID so far. Although those can't easily be paid in cash.
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#337Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the specific proposed rule to reference: https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-seeks-comment-enhanced-know...
What I find most concerning is that this isn't a bill or law. Unelected government officials at the FCC can apparently just decide to do this .
I have some skepticism of the administrative branch but it makes sense to have a nimble government. When they make bad decisions it is Congress prerogative to write law to guide these bureaucracies. The problem is the US Congress is broken.
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#338Earlier quoted context omitted.
They require your name and address, so they will have a nice database of anyone who dares voice an objection.
Do you have any examples of the government exploiting that?
Do you have any examples of the government NOT exploiting that? It's hard to know for sure how data is being used or sold out for others to exploit it.
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#339We at some point will have to stop complying. Not because we are doing anything at all wrong, but because we cannot trust our govt and the corporations they are beholden to.
Having multiple needless laws is another way to control the population. Everyone will be violating at least one law. The government will then just enforce the laws on the people they don't like.
> The government will then just enforce the laws on the people they don't like.
Which is explicitly against the 14th amendment.
Re: FCC wants to kill burner phones by forcing telecoms to get all customers' IDs
#340Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems to depend a lot. It's kind of hard in Germany - they wanted my permanent address. I didn't find France as difficult. Iceland didn't care. Italy wanted my passport. Chile, you virtually needed to be a citizen, as I recall.
Btw you can still buy an anonymous SIM card with cash in the Netherlands in pretty much any supermarket/kiosk/whatever. And if you just need Internet, I haven't had any eSIM provider try to verify my ID so far. Although those can't easily be paid in cash.
That will likely change too if it becomes the last bastion of anonymous SIM cards.