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> spoofing your IMEI is a federal crime Can anyone cite this? I've seen references to the bill S. 1070--113th Congress [0] and earlier versions of it, but it

> spoofing your IMEI is a federal crime Can anyone cite this? I've seen references to the bill S. 1070--113th Congress [0] and earlier versions of it, but it hasn't passed or really gotten started at all. I read through a few online discussions [1][2][3] and it always seems to turn into a flamefest about how it's so "obviously illegal, been so for years", yet I haven't seen a concrete reference proving it. Sometimes discussion is suppressed, because it's clearly illegal in most other countries, which is fair. I would not be surprised if there's some obscure application of FCC regulations, or even a generic reference to changing identifiers on property, that ends up covering it, but am curious if anyone can point it out. Note, that the IMEI does not authenticate a paying subscriber to the network (SIM cards do), so it shouldn't be covered under theft of service. [0] https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/1070/text https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/senate-bill/107... [1] http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852166 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1852166 [2] https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/misc.legal.moderated/2EpAdivJXBg https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/misc.legal.moderated... [3] http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1786541-How-do-you-change-an-IMEI-of-a-blacklisted-T-Mobile-phone http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1786541-How-do-yo...

sbierwagen 12y ago
S.493 - Wireless Telephone Protection Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-bill/493 https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-bill/493 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 so that such instrument may be used to obtain telecommunications service without authorization. You could probably argue that modifying the IMEI ("telecommunication identifying information") would not actually allow you "to obtain telecommunications service without authorization"-- you still need to reconfigure the SIM card. Of course, stealing PINs without also stealing the ATM cards is prima facie a crime, even though the PIN alone doesn't allow you to obtain funds.
- scintill76 12y ago
  Good find, thanks. Apparently there are some data plans that are only authorized for use with certain phone models (i.e., the phones are locked-down so that the plan is not as "valuable"), which are identified by IMEI, so this could fit. I wonder, do you have to be doing it strictly "to obtain telecommunications service without authorization", as opposed to increasing privacy? I noticed the text doesn't say "with intent to defraud" like the surrounding paragraphs[0]. [0] http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1029 http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1029

sbierwagen 12y ago

S.493 - Wireless Telephone Protection Act https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-bill/493 https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/senate-bill/493 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 so that such instrument may be used to obtain telecommunications service without authorization. You could probably argue that modifying the IMEI ("telecommunication identifying information") would not actually allow you "to obtain telecommunications service without authorization"-- you still need to reconfigure the SIM card. Of course, stealing PINs without also stealing the ATM cards is prima facie a crime, even though the PIN alone doesn't allow you to obtain funds.

scintill76 12y ago
Good find, thanks. Apparently there are some data plans that are only authorized for use with certain phone models (i.e., the phones are locked-down so that the plan is not as "valuable"), which are identified by IMEI, so this could fit. I wonder, do you have to be doing it strictly "to obtain telecommunications service without authorization", as opposed to increasing privacy? I noticed the text doesn't say "with intent to defraud" like the surrounding paragraphs[0]. [0] http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1029 http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1029