What EFF has to say about "The Most Ridiculous Law of 2013" (see below for original link)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022272165
Given that the mass media has an abysmal record on issues of tech & science I usually like to wait to see what the experts that I trust to have to say on issues before making a judgment about a particular story.
The DU OP linked above includes this snip from the Atlantic article:
But seriously: It's embarrassing and unacceptable that we are at the mercy of prosecutorial and judicial discretion** to avoid the implementation of draconian laws that could implicate average Americans in a crime subject to up to a $500,000 fine and up to five years in prison.
Well, most likely an individual average American won't be subjected to anything but rather reselling businesses may be the targets:
Now, the bad news. While we dont expect mass lawsuits anytime soon, the threat still looms. More likely, wireless carriers, or even federal prosecutors, will be emboldened to sue not individuals, but rather businesses that unlock and resell phones. If a court rules in favor of the carriers, penalties can be stiff - up to $2,500 per unlocked phone in a civil suit, and $500,000 or five years in prison in a criminal case where the unlocking is done for "commercial advantage." And this could happen even for phones that are no longer under contract. So we're really not free to do as we want with devices that we own.
Read the both the good news and the bad news at the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Is It Illegal To Unlock a Phone? The Situation is Better - and Worse - Than You Think