Questions tagged [communications-law]
The communications-law tag has no summary.
30 questions
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
A political campaign texted me after I sent them a STOP message, does this violate the Telephone Consumer Protection Act?
Eight days ago I received a fundraising message via SMS. It included the Telephone Consumer Protection Act's "reply STOP to opt out" disclaimer. I replied "STOP" and received an ...
0
votes
1
answer
866
views
Is there any legal difference between END and STOP when opting out of SMS promotional messages?
I frequently receive unsolicited fundraising and promotional messages on my cell phone via SMS. The majority of these end with a statement like "STOP to end" or "STOP to opt out."
...
1
vote
1
answer
162
views
E2EE prohibitions for text messaging
RCS is the modern replacement for SMS/MMS. According to the RCS Universal Profile 3.0 specifications, end-to-end encryption shall be enabled by default unless prohibited by law:
R5-43-1
RCS clients ...
0
votes
1
answer
518
views
What does Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 mean? (UK)
I have asked similar questions about this before but I'm still trying to understand exactly what Section 127 and the offence of "Improper use of public electronic communications network" ...
-2
votes
1
answer
230
views
Is it possible to sue Israel for disruption of the internet?
The same night that Israel attacked Iran via planes, drones, etc., Google Cloud and Cloudflare reported worldwide outages.
Pretty much any disruption of cloud services causes money/reputation/client ...
12
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Can listening to a song be illegal?
In May 2025, Kanye West released a song called "Heil Hitler" in which he says "All my n***as Nazis, n***a, heil Hitler."
In the UK, would listening to this song be criminalised in ...
1
vote
1
answer
277
views
What is the definition of obscene or gross material under the Communications Act?
It is in the news that the UK government considers that people posting videos of "point of view documentaries" of the James Bulger murder could be prosecuted for public order offences ...
0
votes
1
answer
124
views
What would have to be proven for criminal speech under the Communications Act 2003?
It is in the news that after a one and a half year legal battle the CPS has dropped charges under the Communications Act 2003 against a 22-year-old black student who referred to a black footballer as ...
0
votes
1
answer
108
views
Which countries have laws similar to the U.S.'s Communications Act of 1934?
Which countries have laws similar to the U.S. FCC Communications Act of 1934, protecting federal candidates' advertising from censorship and giving candidates reasonable access and equal opportunity?
-2
votes
1
answer
245
views
How exactly did Julie Sweeney commit an offence under s. 181 of the OSA 2023?
Julie Sweeney pled guilty to section 181 of the Online Safety Act (OSA) in England, by posting a comment that said “It’s absolutely ridiculous. Don’t protect the mosques. Blow the mosque up with the ...
1
vote
0
answers
239
views
Which jurisdictions require suppliers of software for encrypted communication to provide source code to the authorities?
It appears that in France, the supply of software which enables encrypted communication is only allowed provided that the government sees the source code. Article 30(III) of the "Law No. 2004-575 ...
35
votes
1
answer
24k
views
Sticker on caption phone says that using the captions can be illegal. Why?
I was testing donated electronics at a local non-profit, to decide what to put on the shelves and what to recycle, when I found this:
Federal law prohibits anyone but registered users with hearing ...
3
votes
1
answer
135
views
Is a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connection a phone call by legal definition?
Is a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) considered a phone call by legal definition? As such, could I use state laws such as Washington State RCW 9.61, for instance, to pursue civil action against someone ...
1
vote
3
answers
220
views
Is deliberate radio interference justified in self-defense or defense of others?
Deliberate radio interference is normally, if not always, illegal. Is self-defense or defense of others a valid justification? If Alice hears Bob and Bill using radio to plan a violent crime, is it ...
0
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Are the fees incurred by phone owners to receive verification-codes sent as sms messages legal?
The question
Are the fees incurred by phone owners to receive verification-codes sent as sms messages legal ?
When registering to make new email-accounts( etc ) those companies often send you a ...