Safelink: "Free" cell phones for you!

[AntonLee]

https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx

nice a government paid for cell phone for those who can't afford it.  For a good laugh click on the "Is it REALLY free?" button.

[Puke]

Christ on the cross!
So fucking insane, I hope it's a scam.

[leetninja]

[AntonLee]

I saw the commercial on television.  It made me sick and I fell to the floor. I got up and put in the address and fell to the floor again.

[erisian]

It's being paid for out of the "Universal Service Fund". In other words, by a tax on all telecommunications users in the US. Tracfone, a MVNO subsidiary of a multinational corporation, América Móvil, gets all the money, some of which they pay to the actual network operator companies like Verizon.

[AntonLee]

wow, so it definitely sounds like something I have no want to ever spend one red cent paying for.  Nice!

[KBCraig]

wow, so it definitely sounds like something I have no want to ever spend one red cent paying for.  Nice!

And yet you've been paying it as part of every POTS and cellular bill you've paid in the last dozen+ years.

[AntonLee]

wow, so it definitely sounds like something I have no want to ever spend one red cent paying for.  Nice!

And yet you've been paying it as part of every POTS and cellular bill you've paid in the last dozen+ years.

yup and I'm really all kinds of happy about it.

[Puke]

I wonder how much surveillance will be included in the phone.

[erisian]

I wonder how much surveillance will be included in the phone.

Just the usual GPS locator that the FBI can use anytime, but you can't unless you pay extra.
Then again, I heard recently that  Big Brother  can do a stealth firmware upgrade on most any cellphone, and open the microphone and even the camera. The only thing you might notice is the battery not lasting long.

[leetninja]

I wonder how much surveillance will be included in the phone.

Just the usual GPS locator that the FBI can use anytime, but you can't unless you pay extra.
Then again, I heard recently that  Big Brother  can do a stealth firmware upgrade on most any cellphone, and open the microphone and even the camera. The only thing you might notice is the battery not lasting long.

lol break out the tinfoil hat if you believe that

[erisian]

lol break out the tinfoil hat if you believe that

Sorry, dude, but it's true.
They can track you even if your phone doesn't have a GPS.
And the firmware... Did you install the operating system and software on your phone from open source code? No, the phone company installed whatever they wanted. They can change it at will. You have to get their permission (by paying them) to install any new software. You have no control over it. They have all the control.

[leetninja]

lol break out the tinfoil hat if you believe that

Sorry, dude, but it's true.
They can track you even if your phone doesn't have a GPS.
And the firmware... Did you install the operating system and software on your phone from open source code? No, the phone company installed whatever they wanted. They can change it at will. You have to get their permission (by paying them) to install any new software. You have no control over it. They have all the control.

no, its not true, they can track the phone IF the 3g or edge network is active, IF the connection is allowed, and IF the phone is capable. i.e. no gps = no tracking.  of course that leave data plan, wifi, egde, cdma, 3g, 4g etc

Also, the study says nothing about what happens when you turn your phone off, when you shut off data services, or if you have an analog device which is relatively untraceable.

And the firmware... Did you install the operating system and software on your phone from open source code?

yes ... i did actually ... i compiled it from source.  open source is merely licensing style. The OS is also separate from the firmware.

[erisian]

yes ... i did actually ... i compiled it from source.  open source is merely licensing style. The OS is also separate from the firmware.

What kind of phone is that, and what OS?
They can track any phone, anytime that it's on, to within less than 100 yards anyplace where there is more than one tower within range by triangulating on the relative signal strength. No GPS required.

[leetninja]

yes ... i did actually ... i compiled it from source.  open source is merely licensing style. The OS is also separate from the firmware.

What kind of phone is that, and what OS?

i phone with custom firmware and my custom iphone os.