39 ms·

Couldn’t you use a gsm jammer inside the prison instead?

notl4wy3r 9y ago
You cannot use a jammer of any kind in the United States, for almost all values of you, including state and federal penal agencies. https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement
- aprescott 9y ago
  That's an interesting US fact, but the story is about the UK. Is it likewise restricted there?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - cryptoz 9y ago
    Yes, it is. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/spectrum-offences/jammers https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/s...
  - QAPereo 9y ago
    Criminal, according to Ofcom regulations. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/spectrum-offences/jammers https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/s... There are after all good reasons to ban them, but even if those reasons didn’t exist, the Tories would ban them for their usual “law and order” reasons.
  - buckminster 9y ago
    The law was changed to permit jamming in prisons. It is quite difficult to implement because you have to avoid jamming outside the prison, but a successful feasibility study was carried out. And the government decided it was too expensive to roll out nationally.
JonRB 9y ago
As an alternative it'd be nice to see some higher-tech GSM detection technology that allowed them to pinpoint the phones (or at least be aware of their presence).
- dragonwriter 9y ago
  So, cell towers?
  - JonRB 9y ago
    I don't know a tremendous amount about cell towers, but I was under the impression that they couldn't very accurately pinpoint locations - I was thinking more of a [foxhunting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter_hunting)-style https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter_hunting)-style location, where you could (hopefully) find a phone's hiding place with relative ease.
    - user5994461 9y ago
      A recent article on how to track cell phone: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14803443 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14803443
  - iAMAGuest 9y ago
    I guess they could use a "stingray" type device, which could be used to control, rather than interrupt the cell signal.
  - amigoingtodie 9y ago
    Rectal exams.
jopsen 9y ago
Lead paint? :) - Just kidding...
- iAMAGuest 9y ago
  Faraday prison cells.
  - leetcrew 9y ago
    or just a faraday cage.
- user5994461 9y ago
  Why kidding? That should work. Paintings with metals is really a thing. Lead is toxic to human, any other metal can do.
  - vidanay 9y ago
    I suspect any quantity of metal sufficient to act as an RF shield or Faraday cage would be toxic to humans in paint form.
    - AstralStorm 9y ago
      Unless ingested, iron should be fine. It is also low maintenance.

You cannot use a jammer of any kind in the United States, for almost all values of you, including state and federal penal agencies. https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement

aprescott 9y ago
That's an interesting US fact, but the story is about the UK. Is it likewise restricted there?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- cryptoz 9y ago
  Yes, it is. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/spectrum-offences/jammers https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/s...
- QAPereo 9y ago
  Criminal, according to Ofcom regulations. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/spectrum-offences/jammers https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/interference-enforcement/s... There are after all good reasons to ban them, but even if those reasons didn’t exist, the Tories would ban them for their usual “law and order” reasons.
- buckminster 9y ago
  The law was changed to permit jamming in prisons. It is quite difficult to implement because you have to avoid jamming outside the prison, but a successful feasibility study was carried out. And the government decided it was too expensive to roll out nationally.

JonRB 9y ago

As an alternative it'd be nice to see some higher-tech GSM detection technology that allowed them to pinpoint the phones (or at least be aware of their presence).

dragonwriter 9y ago
So, cell towers?
- JonRB 9y ago
  I don't know a tremendous amount about cell towers, but I was under the impression that they couldn't very accurately pinpoint locations - I was thinking more of a [foxhunting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter_hunting)-style https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter_hunting)-style location, where you could (hopefully) find a phone's hiding place with relative ease.
  - user5994461 9y ago
    A recent article on how to track cell phone: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14803443 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14803443
- iAMAGuest 9y ago
  I guess they could use a "stingray" type device, which could be used to control, rather than interrupt the cell signal.
- amigoingtodie 9y ago
  Rectal exams.

jopsen 9y ago

Lead paint? :) - Just kidding...

iAMAGuest 9y ago
Faraday prison cells.
- leetcrew 9y ago
  or just a faraday cage.
user5994461 9y ago
Why kidding? That should work. Paintings with metals is really a thing. Lead is toxic to human, any other metal can do.
- vidanay 9y ago
  I suspect any quantity of metal sufficient to act as an RF shield or Faraday cage would be toxic to humans in paint form.
  - AstralStorm 9y ago
    Unless ingested, iron should be fine. It is also low maintenance.