4 ms·

> IIRC changing the IMEI in the U.S. is legal. This is incorrect. Changing your IMEI it is illegal in the USA under the Wireless Telephone Protection Act of 1

> IIRC changing the IMEI in the U.S. is legal. This is incorrect. Changing your IMEI it is illegal in the USA under the Wireless Telephone Protection Act of 1998: "Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly using, producing, trafficking in, having control or custody of, or possessing hardware or software knowing that it has been configured to insert or modify telecommunication identifying information associated with or contained in a telecommunications instrument" https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-bill/493 https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-bill/493

throwaway67743 4y ago
Thanks for finding this, as non-US trying to find relevant laws in the mess of multiple levels of law etc is difficult, i assumed the FCC would regulate this as the telecoms regulátor but it appears not
srwright 4y ago
To be fair you're leaving out the last part of that sentence "... so that such instrument may be used to obtain telecommunications service without authorization."
- octoberfranklin 4y ago
  Because it doesn't matter: none of the big three tower operators in the USA authorizes you to use their telecommunications service with a fake IMEI.
  - NoImmatureAdHom 4y ago
    Authorization by whom? I think if I'm paying my bill I have the telco's authorization. They're trying to prevent fraud that gets you free phone service here.
    - octoberfranklin 4y ago
      > I think if I'm paying my bill I have the telco's authorization. That's nice. The courts think differently.
  - sneak 4y ago
    There is no such thing as a "fake" IMEI.
NoImmatureAdHom 4y ago
I appreciate you looking this up. There are lots and lots of laws, though, that are either unenforceable because they're badly written or just not enforced. The sibling comment pointing out the part you left out is on point, and I would be surprised if any sort of prosecution would ever happen. I'm paying my phone bill and I want to change my IMEI, so what? I'm not defrauding anyone. I am inclined to believe two things: 1) Nobody would ever bother me about this, and 2) Courts would agree with me if push came to shove

throwaway67743 4y ago

Thanks for finding this, as non-US trying to find relevant laws in the mess of multiple levels of law etc is difficult, i assumed the FCC would regulate this as the telecoms regulátor but it appears not

srwright 4y ago

To be fair you're leaving out the last part of that sentence "... so that such instrument may be used to obtain telecommunications service without authorization."

octoberfranklin 4y ago
Because it doesn't matter: none of the big three tower operators in the USA authorizes you to use their telecommunications service with a fake IMEI.
- NoImmatureAdHom 4y ago
  Authorization by whom? I think if I'm paying my bill I have the telco's authorization. They're trying to prevent fraud that gets you free phone service here.
  - octoberfranklin 4y ago
    > I think if I'm paying my bill I have the telco's authorization. That's nice. The courts think differently.
- sneak 4y ago
  There is no such thing as a "fake" IMEI.

NoImmatureAdHom 4y ago

I appreciate you looking this up. There are lots and lots of laws, though, that are either unenforceable because they're badly written or just not enforced. The sibling comment pointing out the part you left out is on point, and I would be surprised if any sort of prosecution would ever happen. I'm paying my phone bill and I want to change my IMEI, so what? I'm not defrauding anyone. I am inclined to believe two things: 1) Nobody would ever bother me about this, and 2) Courts would agree with me if push came to shove