Sunday, February 17, 2013

Cell Phones and Privacy


There are many legitimate reasons why somebody may choose a to use a prepaid phone.
For many people signing up for a cellphone plan through a major contract wireless carrier is a big monthly expense. If a family is looking to slash the price of their hefty cellphone bill, choosing a prepaid plan could save them roughly $800 per year. Along with the drastic decrease in costs, the reception and call quality is also supposed to be better.
Some people aren’t as phone savvy as others, so why should they pay the same price? One of the biggest advantages of using a prepaid phone is the fact that you can tailor it to your own usage. You can buy individual packs of minutes online, over the phone and through major retail stores. That way you can have a cheap phone that still allows you to call in times of need.
One of the biggest downfalls to entering a phone contract is the fact that you are typically locked in for at least two years. Prepaid phones on the other hand allow somebody to leave at any time. There is no hassle of contract signing.
I believe that the government should have some regulation over the distribution of prepaid cellphones. Although most Americans use prepaid cellphones lawfully, the ability to become anonymous through the use of them is too dangerous. I believe a bill, like the one unveiled by U.S. lawmakers today, should require all prepaid phone users to provide some sort of identification when purchasing one, and for that information to be retained throughout the use of it.
I also believe that prepaid phones shouldn’t be able to be purchased with just cash. Providing a credit card during transaction would allow the government to track people more easily, making it more difficult for terrorists, drug and gang members to cover their tracks. 

2 comments:

  1. We have a lot of similar views on pre paid cell phones. I agree with the idea of having an identification when purchasing one can help stop criminals and people in hiding from abusing the privacy of pre paid cell phones.

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  2. I agree with many of your points about pre-paid cell phones, but I can also view some reasons why requiring identification could work against their benefits. There is a much higher chance of information being leaked from information gathered from buying a pre-paid cell phone as compared to signing up for a 2 year plan. Less information may be gathered for a pre-paid, but gathering information from each cell phone's purchase could have the potential to cause many smaller breaches of privacy.

    You always have such well thought out points of view. I hope you don't mind that I tend to comment on your posts a lot. ˆ_ˆ

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