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Arise, you have nothing to lose but your barbed wire fences!

1998-04-23 - Re: Position escrow

Header Data

From: Geraint Price <Geraint.Price@cl.cam.ac.uk>
To: Phil Karn <karn@qualcomm.com>
Message Hash: 29b05e89e81924b327f8e03c9b43465419d3ddee51d7686445dd3302a51a7df5
Message ID: <E0ySOw0-0002Oj-00@heaton.cl.cam.ac.uk>
Reply To: <199804222049.NAA26335@servo.qualcomm.com>
UTC Datetime: 1998-04-23 16:34:55 UTC
Raw Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 09:34:55 -0700 (PDT)

Raw message

From: Geraint Price <Geraint.Price@cl.cam.ac.uk>
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 09:34:55 -0700 (PDT)
To: Phil Karn <karn@qualcomm.com>
Subject: Re: Position escrow
In-Reply-To: <199804222049.NAA26335@servo.qualcomm.com>
Message-ID: <E0ySOw0-0002Oj-00@heaton.cl.cam.ac.uk>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



> >One interesting, but unlikely possibility is an originate-only phone which
> >pays for calls with cash (e.g. Digicash, or a prepaid phone activation
> >card).  Since it can't receive calls, it doesn't need an identity.  What
> >would come out of the system is, "Someone in cell X called telephone number
> >Y."
> 
> There's already a way to do this: cloning. This is not always done
> just to avoid paying for service.  Certain cloners are entirely able
> and willing to pay for cellular service, but they demand anonymity.
> 
> Somebody should point out to the carriers that they could get rid of
> much of the incentive to clone phones if they simply offered a
> legit way to remain anonymous.
> 
> Phil

This technology already exists in Britain (I don't know about any other 
countries), where you can buy a mobile without any subscription information 
off the shelf. To use the mobile, you go and purchase a 'token' which allows 
you to use the mobile on a pay-per-call basis much the same as a public phone. 
I don't know the method of token implementation.

The police have started kicking up a fuss over this technology as they claim 
it hinders their investigation into criminal activity, because if they trace a 
cellular phone which turns out to be one of this type then they can't pull the 
info on the customer to go round knocking on doors.

Geraint

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