
Teenage criminals should wear Wi-Fi jamming anklets says top cop - nsgi
http://arstechnica.co.uk/tech-policy/2017/01/teenage-criminals-should-wear-wi-fi-jamming-anklets-says-top-cop/
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mixedCase
Yes, people without field knowledge often say stupid shit, and I'm fairly sure
this person has already been informed by someone that his idea doesn't work.

Doesn't this warrant a spot in the humor section rather than a fully serious
article like this?

~~~
tempodox
Yep, even the article's subtitle leaves no doubt.

Might as well freeze car traffic because, hey, some criminals use cars to
commit their crimes.

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sarreph
Spends a long time postulating on something and reveals the obvious
counteraction in the last line.

> Plus, what's to stop those tenacious teens from plugging in via Ethernet,
> anyway?

~~~
throwaway2016a
I'd venture if you asked a bunch of teens what an ethernet cable is I imagine
it'd be similar to the number that knows what a rotary phone looks like.

~~~
wolfgke
> I'd venture if you asked a bunch of teens what an ethernet cable is I
> imagine it'd be similar to the number that knows what a rotary phone looks
> like.

Not if they participate in the "PC master race" (i.e. are passionate PC
gamers). These people typically strongly prefer ethernet over WiFi for the
lower ping and insensitivity with respect to disturbances (also from microwave
ovens; cf. [https://xkcd.com/654/](https://xkcd.com/654/)).

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pdabbadabba
This would be absolutely illegal in the U.S. Does anyone know if the U.K. has
similar anti-jamming laws?

Edit: Yes. For those of you, like me, who didn't get beyond the first few
paragraphs, the article itself makes clear that this is illegal in the U.K. as
well. Thanks k1t.

~~~
k1t
It says so in the article and even provides a supporting link:
[https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/radio-spectrum-and-the-
law...](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/spectrum/radio-spectrum-and-the-law/jammers)

~~~
pdabbadabba
Reading (beyond the first few paragraphs) is good!

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MatthewWilkes
> The cop admits that there might be some practical or human rights issues,
> but that shouldn't stop the ministry of justice from considering body-worn
> Wi-Fi jammers.

...what?

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wolfgke
Quote from article:

> 'In addition to wearing a Wi-Fi jammer, Thomas suggests that teen offenders
> "could be required to go on an ethics and value programme about how you
> behave online, which is an area that I think is absent at the moment."'

Just two words: Hacker ethic.

>
> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_ethic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_ethic)

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teilo
Yes this makes as much sense as the proposal to develop a mobile technology
whereby a cell phone can magically determine which of the passengers in a
moving vehicle is the driver, and disable itself.

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phozy1
Would the government be liable, if long term, short range jamming signals
could cause health problems to those wearing them for extended amounts of
time?

