Liberty's Blog: Cell phone block eyed

Sunday, May 16, 2004

Cell phone block eyed

Plans to block cell phone usage are underway in Los Angeles as an anti-terrorism countermeasure. Cell phone jamming is already used widely in foreign countries and to protect President Bush. The plan is to block cell phones in case of suspected attacks. The plan is taking on an urgency since the bombings in Spain where cell Phones were used to fire the detonators.

Many people carry their cell phones primarily for emergency situations. We wonder if people will be endangered by the act of blocking cell phones. There is the tendency of false alarms, and overeacting to some threats. Cell phones are relied on by people for safety, and for many people it is thier only phone service. What about Digital Pagers, and land based phones? These devices can also be excellent bomb detonators. During 911 the cell phones was not only where victems said their last last goodbyes, it was also an important means of emergency communication. New Yorks Emergency radio Channels were fully loaded, and Cell phones were used by Emergency personel to communicate other non-traditional support people that weren't linked into the radio network. A cell phone can be a lifeline for many people during an emergency.