States consider requiring ID for prepaid phone

aiming to put restrictions on prepaid phones. But how exactly will they do that? On the one hand, yes, you want to be able to have some idea of who is purchasing these phones. As has been noted by many, prepaid phones are widely used in drug deals. But to restrict the purchase of prepaid phones too much is to weaken the industry. It appears now that some states are looking to require photo ID when purchasing a prepaid phone.

Chicago detective Timothy J. Murphy wrote a letter to state and federal lawmakers two years ago complaining that many of his homicide investigations were hindered by prepaid or pay-as-you-go phones. “We’ve got 255 million wireless phones in circulation right now,” said Joe Farren, a spokesman for the Wireless Association. “It’s going to be terribly difficult to prove whether someone is providing false identification.”

Of course, the other end is that this could set a precedent. If you can require ID for the purchase of prepaid phones, you can require ID for other purchases. So lawmakers will have to tread carefully.]]>