[GRLUG] kill switches

[Bruce Smith]

>> It is a device designed to be connected
>> to a public network.
>
> Right.  Because that's _entirely different_ from a Personal
> Devic..err...Computer connected to the Public Net...err...Internet.
> Totally different.

The problem is there are two networks involved.
One public, and one private.

The cellular networks are owned by the cell phone providers.
AT&T/Alltel/Sprint/T-Moble/Verizon each have their own private
cellular networks.

Their private cellular networks are also connected to the public internet.

This is similar to a corporation, who has a private/internal network,
which is connected to the public internet.

As a sysadmin, if a PC on my internal network starts causing problems
with the network, I pull the plug on the PC until it can be fixed.
Either by physically disconnecting the cable, or disabling the port in
a managed switch.  If the user of the PC "owner" starts doing
something illegal (or otherwise violating corporate policy) on the
internet, I also pull the plug, or remove their ability to get to the
internet.

As Adam said, the cell provider can easily disconnect your phone from
their private/cellular network.  i.e. They will do this if you don't
pay your bill.

They also need to limit apps if those apps cause problems on their
network or do illegal things.  It's better for everyone involved if
they can kill a single app, as opposed to killing the entire phone.

The PROBLEM is when cellular providers start abusing that power and
starts killing apps for questionable reasons.  Like when AT&T killed
third party email apps on the iphone because they provided "duplicate
functionality".  IMO, that is a poor reason to kill an app, and they
were abusing their power.

No matter how nice it would be to prevent providers from abusing their
power by taking away their ability to kill apps, there is a real need
for apps to be killed by a higher power.

If someone writes an app that posts all personal information on a
phone to the internet, then the provider would be wise to kill that
app.  Same if someone writes an app to send spam.  Or attack other
networks.  Or ...

Bad people WILL write those kind of apps, and disguise them to look
legitimate.  Someone needs to approve them before they are made
available to the general public, and someone needs the ability to kill
them if a evil app slips by the prerelease inspectors.

This is much better than killing the entire phone of everyone who has
downloaded a evil app, stranding many people without voice service.
(and causing everyone involved to physically bring their phone into a
store to get it fixed, and raising your phone bill because of all the
labor involved, and the provider losing customers who are now pissed
off...)

 - BS