SA to tighten up communications act

[rpm]

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Telecoms/1025.html

 

[ld13]

What will be next? DNA Samples connected to your Cellphone & all the simcards you have? I dont like what I am reading here. Am I the criminal suddenly?

Although I am all for fighting crime, I dont see how this will help. This will just be extra schlep that I will have to deal with. And with all that, I dont like being "monitored".

Oops, I just lost my SIM. Have to go and report it at the police now...

 

[XCentricdave]

This will mean foreign visitors will need to inform authorities of their cellphone details and passport numbers or risk their service being blocked.

Just in time for 2010 - maybe it will put off some of the hooligans from coming. An unexpected benefit particularly daft piece of legislation.

 

[ld13]

Just in time for 2010 - maybe it will put off some of the hooligans from coming. An unexpected benefit particularly daft piece of legislation.

Lol. I never thought of it in this way! SA-style queues at the airport to register your 4 Different "communication devices" and 9 different simcards. Not even talking about the devices that are simcard-less.

And watch, the networks are going to charge a fee for this "service" to foreigners.

 

[Ricard]

South Africa!! .. where Citizens are Monitored and the Criminals roam free.

 

[Tns]

totally stupid as if criminals going to register first!

This will mean foreign visitors will need to inform authorities of their cellphone details and passport numbers or risk their service being blocked.

yes very clever, whats the point of roaming then?

 

[tristin]

South Africa!! .. where Citizens are Monitored and the Criminals roam free.

Sounds like the UK, minus the "criminals roam free" part, lol

 

[bobby.quinne]

I suppose they will want statements and payslips that even done in excel or word with no actual verifying attributes will be completely acceptable. No doubt another nice IT stuff up ala e-nothing.

 

[Tns]

I suppose they will want statements and payslips that even done in excel or word with no actual verifying attributes will be completely acceptable. No doubt another nice IT stuff up ala e-nothing.

Contracts already require all this and more.So they know where and who contract people are

 

[BobbyMac]

Does anyone think this is a good thing?

I actually think it is a good thing.

 

[bwana]

Who comes up with these ridiculous laws?

 

[bobby.quinne]

Contracts already require all this and more.So they know where and who contract people are

Yeah, I had the fun of waiting a month to get past all that non-sense. MTN kept denying because the print out of my bank account did not have banks logo on it. WTF!!!

Wonder if ECHELON reopened @ silvermine...probably the next step

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvermine_(ECHELON)

 

[-toady-]

South Africa!! .. where Citizens are Monitored and the Criminals roam free.

 

[Tns]

Does anyone think this is a good thing?

I actually think it is a good thing.

the idea is good but sucks! it's like the anti gun movement they want to take away all the guns, as if thats going to prevent crime or people killing people. This crappy law of the cellphones won't make a dent in crime it might actually increase it. Now you can't buy pay as you go sims anymore, now the criminals will steal a car,cellphone to do their job.

 

[Leitmotif]

Who comes up with these ridiculous laws?

People who like having power over others.

 

[bwana]

Any provider of telecoms must verify the details of their clients within 12 months.

Seems like there's going to be an easy way for people to get out of their contracts.

 

[JTech]

And an even more urgent need for people with GSM hacking skills.

 

[Conspirator]

Useless idea. And what about the existing user base? Are they gonna call every single number on the database? I'm not giving some idiot on the phone my ID#.

That's gonna be fun with some of the 3G/GPRS crew here having >10 SIMS.
And if a real gangstar wants a SIM he could just hand R50 to the closest oke on the street.

I can just see the dudes at VC thinking "which sh!thead come up with this idea".

 

[Ricard]

And an even more urgent need for people with GSM hacking skills.

The Older Vodacom sim cards were hacked using the bog standard A3/A8 compromise. I had 2 phones with the same number online I wonder how the GSM system registers the same ICCID in Pretoria and Durban. I wonder!

IMEI numbers are not secured in any way.... never mind being a unique identifier. SMS originating numbers can be spoofed on some networks using a standard GSM modem and a specific PDU in the "AT+CMGS" binary command ...

Been there done that! .. got the T-Shirt.

Secure... my @ss

 

[LabAnimal]

Does anyone think this is a good thing?

I actually think it is a good thing.

... I'm leaning a little towards a dislike for this! This is a multi-legged creature, if for any given reason, you're in government's way, they can listen to you calls and monitor your data, build a case against you!

Know your every move!

It will now milks tourism alongside the Travel Companies

Perhaps reduce crime as its intended, but there are just that many corrupt officials and people out there, crime will survive and evolve!....

Given some clever software on their side and on phones, they could enable maybe enable your camera, and whatever it can see, browse your phone etc...