Cell Phones and Privacy
Having prepaid cellphones is not as terrible of a thing as people claim it to be. One personal experience came to mind when I read this:
Three summers ago I went to Nashville with 2 of my friends and our teacher to compete in a academic competition. While inside the airport before we left, he realized he forgot his phone in the car. He then had to buy a prepaid phone and we used that to contact that him throughout the week if we weren't together. As a 16 year old in Nashville for the first time with 8,000 other people, I would have felt lost without being able to contact my teacher, especially if there was an emergency. I think that is a legitimate use for having a prepaid cell phone.
I don't think they should be banned but people can give their name when they purchase one. The phone calls and texts wouldn't be monitored, but there would be a record of everyone that purchased one. They would also have to show a form of ID to prove that the name they give is their own.
I agree completely and like the idea you came up with. I don't think it would be a good idea to ban prepaid phones either for the main reasons that they are useful and cheap. People that don't have the money to spend on regular cellphones think these prepaid phone are very helpful and keep to their budget.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great example. If a cell phone gets lost or stolen, you may not be able to get a new one right away, and a prepaid cell phone would be the perfect temporary solution.
ReplyDelete