Anonymous Mobile Phones May Be Forbidden
Over in Norway, some authorities are pushing to have all anonymous pre-pay mobile phones forbidden, because they can be used by criminals. This seems like a classic police response to something they can't control: ban the tool, instead of solving the crime. Prepay mobile phone plans have had huge success and the majority of people using them aren't criminals. By forbidding the use of such phones, it's unlikely to stop any crime (criminals will still find a way to communicate), but it will cut off many people from a solution that makes sense for them - and will also harm a strong channel for mobile carriers.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
