Sri Lanka: Another Crazy Cell Phone Law

File under: News

By: Chuong Nguyen | Date: 1-Aug-08 | Comments

This morning, we reported on Germany's ban of GPS on a smartphone and now we have another to add to the list. According to Engadget Mobile, Sri Lanka wants to cut down on the threats of terrorism by requiring all cell phone owners and users to carry around a certificate of ownership at all times. This means no sharing of cell phones.

The law seems like a lot of hassle, especially in emergency situations when users may not have a cell phone with them and need to call immediately for help. Also, if the certificate of ownership is only tied to the IMEI or serial number of a phone, it may be futile as with all GSM phones, one can just swap in a new SIM card and continue using the phone. Furthermore, enforcing this new law may be difficult as a whole department, similar to the Department of Motor Vehicles in the States, would have to be created to register cell phones and ensure that the registration continues if a phone is passed on or sold used to another party.

1 tweets

Retweet this Share on Facebook