Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

'You Got Jammed!'

People are snapping up devices to silence annoying chatterers. So what if they're illegal?

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 4, 2007 2:58 PM CST

(Newser) – Ever find yourself cut off mid-conversation, on a bus or train, by a lost signal? Could be the work of the guy sitting next to you, the New York Times reports. An increasing number of people are snapping up pocket-sized jammers, which emit signals strong enough to knock out cell phone communication within, say, 30 feet. They're illegal in the US, but restaurant and shop owners admit to using them, too.

Costing as much as several hundred dollars, jammers are wielded by vigilantes and pranksters alike. “Just knowing I have the power to cut somebody off is satisfaction enough,” one user bragged. “If anything characterizes the 21st century," an analyst notes of talkers and jammers alike, "it’s our inability to restrain ourselves for the benefit of other people.”

[Images (3)]

[Videos (1)]

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Cell phone jammer rocks! (mutualfunmanager (YouTube))

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Verizon Refunding Up to $90M in Overcharges

Decision made after FCC launches investigation

(NEWSER) - Verizon Wireless is refunding as much as $90 million to cell phone consumers for data overcharges that occurred over the last several years. The decision was made after the FCC launched an investigation following consumer complaints. Most refunds will be between $2 and $6. “When we identify errors, we remedy them as quickly as possible," Verizon Deputy Counsel Mary Coyne said in a statement. More»

Prisons Aim to Change Ban on Phone Jamming

Rampant cell use facilitates crimes committed behind bars

(NEWSER) - Cell phone use is a growing problem among prison inmates, but the obvious solution—signal jamming—is illegal under a 74-year-old federal law. Prisoners can easily smuggle the increasingly tiny handsets, and for the unrepentant among them, “whatever illegal activities you were doing outside, you can continue that uninterrupted,” said a corrections official. Some local and state authorities are pushing for a change to the law. More»

Verizon Opens Up Wireless Network

Carrier will allow use of any compatible cellphone

(NEWSER) - On the heels of Google's plans for an open-source wireless platform, Verizon Wireless has announced that it will open up its own network to any compatible phone and will allow access to third-party applications. Sprint is currently the only other major carrier using CDMA technology, and Verizon had been fiercely protective of its network, reports the Wall Street Journal. More»

Customers Not Happy About Verizon's New $2 Fee

Complaints flood Twitter

(NEWSER) - Will outraged consumers convince Verizon to backtrack on its newest fee , just as they did with Bank of America ? Perhaps: The New York Times notes that yesterday's announcement of the $2 fee, which will be levied against customers who make one-time bill payments using a credit or debit card over the phone or online, led to quite an uproar on Twitter . (Sample tweet : "Scumbags, as if we don't pay enough for crappy signals and service ... Verizon will charge fee for paying bill.") Some upset customers set up online petitions , complained in Verizon forums, and planned to flood the company with paper payments in order to ensure it makes no profit from the new fee. More»

Verizon 'Emergency' Text Spooks New Jersey

Customers ordered to 'take shelter now,' but it's just a test

(NEWSER) - Verizon sparked panic in central New Jersey yesterday by sending thousands of customers a text message reading: "Civil Emergency in this area until 1:24 PM EST Take Shelter Now US Govern." Verizon says the message, which caused 911 dispatchers to be swamped with calls, was part of an internal test of the emergency system that had been inadvertently transmitted. Some customers found their entire screens taken up by a message warning of an "extraordinary threat to life and property." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

'You Got Jammed!'