Librarian of Congress criminalizes unlocked cell phones

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Red Alert Politics:

Librarian of Congress criminalizes unlocked cell phones

By Mike Wakefield /// January 31, 2013

Effective last week, the Librarian of Congress officially criminalized the unlocking of new cell phones, with fines for one-time offenders reaching as high as $500,000 in addition to up to five years in prison.

 

Unlocking cell phones so that they can be used on different carriers’ networks was a fairly common practice that presented a variety of potential benefits to consumers. As of January 31, a White House petition to rescind the decision has more than 46,000 signatures.

 

So how did an unelected bureaucrat (the nation’s top librarian) appointed to his position more than 25 years ago, end up with the power to criminalize what has until recently been a common activity?