Cell-phone jammersGrowing unease over illegal cell phone jammers
For less than $40 nearly anyone can purchase a cell phone jamming device to prevent those nearby from making calls, which has law enforcement agencies uneasy
The device will render nearby cell phones useless // Source: infostream.biz
For less than $40 nearly anyone can purchase a cell phone jamming device to preventthose nearby from making calls, which has law enforcement officials uneasy.
“The general public doesn’t realize what they’re jamming if they were to start using these things,” Richard Mislan, an assistant professor of computer and information technology at Rutgers University, told KXLY in Spokane, Washington. “What’s not obvious is all the wireless connectivity systems that are in the background and maintaining data communications in our daily lives.”
Following reports last week that a man in Philadelphia had used a cell-phone jammer during his bus commute to shut down noisy passengers who were having loud mobile phone conversations, interest in the illegal devices has soared.
KXLY reports that “cell phone jammer” has been one of the top ten searches on Google Trends in recent days.
The devices are illegal in the United States without the express permission of the government, but several websites still offer them for sale. Prices range from less than $40 to more than $1,000.
By sending a signal on the same frequency as mobile phones in the area, jammers can block cell phone calls from coming in and out.
“In layman’s terms, they basically just interrupt the signals in the area,” Mislan explained. “They are a louder signal, if you will, than anything else in the area. As a phone tries to connect to a tower, it can’t because there’s this other noise, if you will, in the way.”
Mislan said the devices, while seemingly harmless, can actually be quite dangerous and law enforcement officials are very worried about how the devices can be used by criminals.
As an example, Mislan, points to the Philadelphia case where the jammer could have blocked the bus driver’s ability to communicate with a dispatcher who needed to discuss critical emergency or traffic information. Meanwhile individuals within the range of the jammer could have missed important calls.
“Who is he to play god with our cellphones?” Mislan said.
Individuals caught using jammers can face jail time and fines of $16,000.
