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There are plenty of reasons you might not want to have your "information" linked to a phone.
Maybe you witnessed something, in a town where the "authorities" can't be trusted. You want to report it, but not at the cost of your life (or the lives of your loved ones). You could go down to the 7-11 and use the payphone (assuming it still works). But there are cameras... and when the crooked cops who work for the lawyers defending the bad guys get the footage, they will see exactly who made that 'anonymous' tip at such-and-such a time, from that phone. That's when your house gets a drive-by shooting...or maybe fire-bombed. Ever wonder why so few people in poor neighborhoods report crimes?
Maybe neighborhood retards with loud mufflers and boom cars make it necessary to call the Police from time to time. But you know that if you call more than a couple of times (from a phone linked to you), that you'll be put on their Crackpot List. Or the cops (who may be retards themselves, and think loud cars are 'cool') may tell the bad guys who snitched on them. The bad guys retaliate. Happens all the time.
You're responding to an ad, or maybe you've run an ad. You have no idea who the other people are. Maybe you're selling a piece of jewelry...whatever... and don't want bad guys knowing where you live and what kind of stuff you have in your house.
And considering the way that phone numbers get involuntarily linked to all sorts of databases, maybe you just want to keep your "information" off the radars of entities who've bought information from entities who've bought information from.... And these entities could be sitting in Russia or Nigeria or some other place known for international criminal networks.
Or maybe, you're a battered wife in hiding, whose husband is buddies with the cops (psychos always seem to be buddy-up with a few cops), and a phone linked to your "information" will be your ticket to being beaten to death...this time...
Maybe you're running from a pimp. He's 'connected', and can easily have someone in a "trusted government agency" use your "information"....tied to your phone... to track you down.
People need to be able to communicate, without having to put their well-being at risk.
Oh, and one more thing.... Should I ever feel the need for a prepaid phone and if my "information" is required to get one, I'll go down to a sketchy part of town, and pay some homeless person to go get one for me, using HIS "information". That's precisely what the pimps and drug dealers will do, too.
Last edited by GrandviewGloria; 03-25-2012 at 12:38 AM..
As of now, one can walk into a store, buy a phone and a card, activate the phone with the card without providing any personal details, and have a working cell phone.
In some (most?) countries, one cannot do this. One has to provide their name and the like to have a phone line, even if it is only pre-paid.
Should it be the American way? One would think that this gives drug dealers, pimps, and the like anonymity and thus a powerful tool to conduct their operations. Or should the government STAY OUT?
Have your say.
These disposable phones are very popular inside the DC beltway. Too funny seeing you ask if they should not be allowed to stay anonymous in use. However...I'm sure the communists in DC are on it. We've got a CZAR for this sort of thing, I'm sure but not sure which of the many CZARS it would be.
As of now, one can walk into a store, buy a phone and a card, activate the phone with the card without providing any personal details, and have a working cell phone.
In some (most?) countries, one cannot do this. One has to provide their name and the like to have a phone line, even if it is only pre-paid.
Should it be the American way? One would think that this gives drug dealers, pimps, and the like anonymity and thus a powerful tool to conduct their operations. Or should the government STAY OUT?
Have your say.
Should eople be required to make internet posts under their real name only?
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
11,078 posts, read 15,074,986 times
Reputation: 3937
Quote:
Originally Posted by freightshaker
The government already has too much information gathered on citizens. I say not only no, but hell no!!!!
EXACTLYNone of their business...let 'em catch the pimps and drug dealers the old fashioned way,with police work.
I use a prepaid now after being hitched to a cell company for nearly 20 years...had I been smart,I would have changed years ago...in my busy season I burn as many as 8000 minutes a month(yeah...figure that out time wise and pricewise back when 1000 minutes was $160 per month and then overtime charges) and average over 5000 minutes a month regardless....I now buy Straight Talk unlimited text,data,voice for $50 a month and was able to port my original # over to it...
As of now, one can walk into a store, buy a phone and a card, activate the phone with the card without providing any personal details, and have a working cell phone.
In some (most?) countries, one cannot do this. One has to provide their name and the like to have a phone line, even if it is only pre-paid.
Should it be the American way? One would think that this gives drug dealers, pimps, and the like anonymity and thus a powerful tool to conduct their operations. Or should the government STAY OUT?
Have your say.
I understand the need for landlines, but not for cells.
I buy cards and pay cash for minutes in the country where I live and in SE Asia.
In most countries, you can buy a card and that's it, it comes with a phone number.
The vast majority of US citizens are NOT criminals.
Why treat everyone as if they were?
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
11,078 posts, read 15,074,986 times
Reputation: 3937
Quote:
Originally Posted by chielgirl
I understand the need for landlines, but not for cells.
I buy cards and pay cash for minutes in the country where I live and in SE Asia.
In most countries, you can buy a card and that's it, it comes with a phone number.
The vast majority of US citizens are NOT criminals.
Why treat everyone as if they were?
Yep.
Personally,I do not see the waste of money on landlines anymore..we had ours shut down a year or so back and do not miss the outlandish prices/taxes we were charged.
Personally,I do not see the waste of money on landlines anymore..we had ours shut down a year or so back and do not miss the outlandish prices/taxes we were charged.
I like my landline and have had the same number for over 50 years.
I pay to keep the service while I live overseas.
Emotional attachments can be expensive!
I have a landline. Cable and internet are cheaper. I have a prepaid cell. I pay $15 every two months. Only a select few have that number and use for emergercies only. My daughter and her boyfriend have a landline and no phone. They both have cell phone plans, and reject any call not local or in their contact list.
I have a prepaid cell phone. I'm no pimp or drug dealer. I'm just someone who uses it infrequently. I'm not hitched to a phone. My hardwired phone at home is all I need, and a cheap cell when I'm on the road for an emergency.
Check this out, have a prepaid phone, unlimited text, internet, talk. unlimited long distance 35$'s a month, my wife has the same plan. No need for a land line. If we miss a payment they shut off the phone till we pay the bill, no reconnect fee,they just turn it back on.. Guess the phone company's must hate this.
I bought a few of those as emergency phones. I put them in the cars and the RV.
I made the mistake of activating one and learned an expensive lesson - there is a minimum usage fee depending on which provider you use. I took them all out about six months after purchase to check the batteries and decided to try the activated phone. The $25 of airtime was expired. I only made one call - the test call the day I activated.
I don't have a problem with them not needing ID.
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None of their business...let 'em catch the pimps and drug dealers the old fashioned way,with police work.
...in my busy season I burn as many as 8000 minutes a month(yeah...figure that out time wise and pricewise back when 1000 minutes was $160 per month and then overtime charges
) and average over 5000 minutes a month regardless....I now buy Straight Talk unlimited text,data,voice for $50 a month and was able to port my original # over to it...
