Prepaid cellphones have long been used by unsavoury criminal type , which is apprehensible ! They ’re anon. , inexpensive , and did I mention anonymous already ? But now that we know the aver Times Square bomber one , governor have grow out their regulatin ’ pin .
A novel flyer was introduced yesterday by senators Chuck Schumer and John Cornyn that would ask prepaid cellphone purchaser to show ID at the prison term of cut-rate sale . Their selective information would then be registered with phone company , permitting law enforcement to keep tabs on them in case of malfeasance .
Some states have already implement this measure , but the possible terrorist act - related purpose — in accession to those pre - existent insider trading and drug - related exercise — caught the federal government ’s interest group . As it should ! If this had been around eight years ago , mayhap McNulty would n’t have been drive to drink so .
SCHUMER , CORNYN : PREPAID CELL PHONES HELP TERRORISTS LIKE TIMES SQUARE BOMBER EVADE DETECTION ; SENATORS PROPOSE FIRST - EVER Union police TO REQUIRE PHONE COMPANIES TO KEEP record OF BUYERS ’ IDENTITIES
Unlike Regular Cell Phones or Landlines , Prepaid Phones Can Be Activated Without a Contract or Credit Check ; Phone Companies Have No Idea Who User Is , and Neither Does Law Enforcement
Long Relied On By Gangs and Drug Kingpins , severely - To - Trace Devices Are Staple For Terrorists , Too ; 9/11 Hijackers Used postpaid Phones To Carry Out Their Plots In arcanum
WASHINGTON , DC - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer ( D - NY ) and John Cornyn ( R - TX ) announced first - of - its - kind federal legislation Wednesday that would serve stop terrorists like the Times Square Italian sandwich from keeping their identity hidden from law enforcement by using prepaid cell phones to plat and align their attacks . Under the novel proposal , buyers of postpaid cellular telephone phones would be require to submit identification at the full point of sale , and phone troupe would have to keep the buyers ’ entropy on file as they already do with users of landline phones and subscription - ground electric cell phones .
“ This proposal is overdue because for years , terrorist , drug kingpins and gang members have appease one step in advance of the police force by using postpaid phones that are laborious to hound . We catch a fault in beguile the Times Square terrorist , but ordinarily a postpaid cell sound is a idle end for police enforcement . There ’s no rationality why it should still be this easy for terror plotters to cover their data track , ” Schumer said .
“ calendar week ago , we came alarmingly airless to a devastating terrorist attack in Times Square . A major lesson we ’ve con from the investigation and arrest of Faisal Shahzad is that we must expect individuals purchasing a pre - devote cell sound in this country to render verified indentifying selective information . While most Americans use pre - give roving devices lawfully , the anonymous nature of these devices consecrate too much cover to person looking to use them for deviant , dangerous means . It would be foolish to remain firm idly by while the risk of infection remains that another terrorist or reprehensible could buy a pre - paid earphone pull up stakes no paper trail . I was proud of to knead with Sen. Schumer on this important lawmaking , which sends a exonerated content that those who purchase pre - pay mobile devices will no longer remain anon. , ” Cornyn say .
Although there are many legitimate exploiter of postpaid cell phones , they have also become the communication gimmick of pick for terrorists , drug Almighty and gang members concerned in masking their identities . Since they can purchased and set off without signing a contract or undergo a credit check , prepaid cellphone speech sound provide practical anonymity .
Faisal Shahzad , the 30 - year - old suspect in the Times Square terror plot of ground , used a prepaid cellphone phone to do the leverage of the Nissan Pathfinder that he attempted to turn into a car bomb . He also used the phone to make a serial publication of call to Pakistan in the days chair up to the onslaught . Federal authorities were later able-bodied to cut through down Shahzad , but only thanks to a break : a bit number in the earphone ’s call log equal one bring home the bacon to U.S. Customs officials when Shahzad reentered the U.S. from Pakistan calendar month in the first place . But for that stroke of luck , authorities might never have been capable to match the phone number provide by the seller of the Pathfinder to Shahzad .
It is not new for terrorists to bank on postpaid cell phones . The 9/11 hijackers used them to communicate in the month prior to their attack . In a speech in 2002 , FBI Director Robert Mueller cite the plotters ’ use of the gimmick to show that they “ managed to exploit loopholes and vulnerabilities in our systems , to stay out of sight , and to not allow anyone know what they were up to beyond a very closed rophy . ”
prepay electric cell phones have also been used as explosion devices for bombs , as was the case in the onslaught on a Madrid caravan that killed 191 hoi polloi in Spain in 2004 .
In 2006 , a waving of leery bulk purchases of prepay cell phones guide the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to issue a nationwide bulletin to local police force calling tending to the trend and point out the potential link to terrorist activeness . Stores such as Wal - Mart implemented policy limiting how many prepaid devices client could purchase in a individual sojourn .
Countries such as Australia , Germany , Indonesia , Japan , Malaysia , Norway , Singapore , South Africa , Switzerland , and Thailand already require readjustment of prepay cell phone users due mainly to their use by terrorist .
In the U.S. , laws requiring registration of prepaid jail cell telephone set user have been pop the question in states include Texas , Massachusetts , Pennsylvania , Missouri , Georgia and South Carolina . But in light of the increase reliance of terrorist on the machine , Schumer and Cornyn said Wednesday it was prison term for a Union reaction .
[ ArsTechnica ]
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