Senators Propose ID Requirements to Purchase Pre-paid Phones
Senators Schumer (D-NY) and Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the Mobile Device Identification Act that if passed would require all pre-paid phone users to provide an ID as a condition of purchase. The bill targets users of pre-paid cellphones and would require phone companies to keep the information on file, as they are required do now for land line users. Abuse of telephone land line users' call detail information of the past include pretexting, where individuals pretending to be the user gains access to information or the warrantless wiretapping by the National Security Agency raise questions regarding the protection of the data collected. The bill is a reaction to the Time Square attempted car bomb attacker who used a pre-paid cellphone to purchase the car.
New proposal would require identification to buy prepaid cellphones, By Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, Wednesday, May 26, 2010; 4:00 PM
