ST Alpha - "Downside: When crowds get unruly, as in Ferguson, authorities will be able to call it a "crowd-control measure" when they turn off everyone's phones." (Reading a Post)

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In response to "Smart phones sold in CA must now have a "kill switch" in case of theft, the first requirement of its kind in the nation -- (link)" by con_carne

Downside: When crowds get unruly, as in Ferguson, authorities will be able to call it a "crowd-control measure" when they turn off everyone's phones.

Posted by Beryllium (aka grayman) Aug 26 '14, 13:41

They can kind of do that now by killing the cell towers and jamming wifi, but by expanding the grid with legal authority, they could quell a wider array of people.

And I'm not 100% sure how thorough the killswitch is, but it could theoretically disable photos and video/audio recording. Taking away the citizens' right to record the police. Taking away the need for police restraint.

Responses:

Not really. There are like eight different ways that would be unconstitutional -- nm - con_carne Aug 26, 14:23 1
- Because they have been so concerned about that thus far. -- nm - Furgeson Police Aug 26, 14:33

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Downside: When crowds get unruly, as in Ferguson, authorities will be able to call it a "crowd-control measure" when they turn off everyone's phones.

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