New York Senator Chuck Schumer has already taken aim at texting while driving, and it looks like he’s now set his sights on pre-paid cellphones, which he says can also be dangerous — when in the wrong hands, at least. To that end, he and Republican co-sponsor John Cornyn of Texas have introduced legislation that would give authorities the ability to identify the owners of pre-paid cellphones, which they say is long overdue “because for years, terrorists, drug kingpins and gang members have stayed one step ahead of the law by using prepaid phones that are hard to trace.” That new tracking ability would also consequently place some new requirements on cellphone carriers and people buying the phones — specifically, anyone buying a pre-paid cellphone would be required to present identification before buying a phone, and cellphone carriers would have to keep that information on file for 18 months after the phone has been deactivated. Of course, the legislation still has a ways to go before it becomes law, but Schumer says it at least has a good chance of winning support from the Obama administration. Head on past the break for the complete press release.
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Senators push for tracking of pre-paid cellphones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 23:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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