Monday 4 March 2013
The White House today backed an Internet petition at We the people asking the Library of Congress to change its stance on the legality of smartphone unlocking.
The original petition launched in late January, and has since amassed 114,322 signatures. It needed 100,000 to demand a response from The White House
R. David Edelman, the White House senior advisor for Internet, innovation and privacy, said the administration agrees with those who signed the petition, the 114,000 plus of them who believe that consumers should be able to unlock their cell phones without risking criminal or other penalties.
"In fact, we believe the same principle should also apply to tablets, which are increasingly similar to smart phones." He said.
Having an unlocked cellphone means you can change carriers freely..
