by Sarah Vigue

Created on: July 07, 2008   Last Updated: July 08, 2008

If you were given the privilege to own and use a cell phone jammer, would you use it? It would be so tempting to zap the phones around you in a place like the movie theater or even better- the library. The satisfaction that comes from silencing the disturbance next to you is almost empowering. The problem is that intolerance to others and the desire to punish or restrict minor annoyances like cell phone noise, will only cause difficulties to you and those around you. Those obnoxious cell phone rings and their inconsiderate owners may have a good reason for disrupting the peace or may turn around and give you a taste of your own medicine.

The whole point of the cell phone jammer is not to jam the phone of the loud talker sitting next to you. The secret service members in Israel were noticing that terrorists were detonating bombs via the terrorists' cell phones. In fact, the infamous train bombings in Madrid of March 2004 were executed this exact way. As a result, the Israelis devised the cell jammers that the secret service now uses to block the signals transmitted to cell phones from the cell towers. Should a member of the secret service have to use a jammer, the unsuspecting terrorist's cell phone, blackberry etc. will experience a disability in "mobile telephone communication within a three-mile (five-kilometer) radius, according to Marco Visscher of Ode magazine's July/August 2008 edition. This particular story in Ode also mentions that this mechanism is "only available for military purposes" but obviously powerful and exciting devices like this are going to be popular enough to crossover to mainstream commercialism. For example, Japan allowed phone jammer use with a permit and France allowed jammer use as long as a functional phone is present and in close proximity in case of emergencies.

Moreover, almost anything can be bought on the Black Market or over the internet. Despite the fact that most countries institute a ban on phone jammers, people are finding ways to obtain and use these illegal devices. Sometimes it makes sense that churches, libraries and government officials would use jammers, but jammers are not necessary for these groups to perform their functions.

The purpose of the cell phone jammer is to prevent or stop crimes like terrorism, not to infringe upon a personal right (talking on a cell phone) or to cause someone to miss an emergency phone call. Universities and banks can continue to post and enforce signs declaring that phones are prohibited. Since the general public uses cell phones and everyone makes mistakes, including the accidental call received during work hours from family members and such, it is necessary for jammers to be used by certified officials only. However, it is extremely necessary for cell phone users to shut off their phones when appropriate and to not just lower the high pitched chirping of the phone volume but to lower the talker's voice when in a restaurant or some other place where others will be disturbed. Freedom of speech and the privilege to own a cell phone should not be abused.

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