FORGET Prince Harry’s under-age boozing and pot smoking. If Britain’s Home
Office is right, the fastest-growing illegal teenage pastime is stealing
people’s mobile phones
(see “Mobile targets”).
The problem may be particularly serious in Britain, but we should remember
that thieves steal cellphones everywhere. Some of the reasons are all too
obvious: mobile phones are by definition small objects of high value that are
often used on street corners. But one less obvious factor fuelling the theft is
the globalised technology behind mobile phones.
Nearly every commercial cellphone network in the world uses the GSM system.
That’s good news…
