The US Library of Congress has ruled that it is legal to hack a mobile phone, so users will now be able to legally ‘jailbreak’ their handset to run on any network, or to install any apps and services they like. It also means that iPhone users will be able to legally download and install apps on their handset that have not been approved by Apple.
The decision was made by the US copyright office, following a campaign by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), which lobbies for technological innovation. It amends an 1998 copyright rule that made it illegal for phone user to bypass technical locks on their devices. James Billington, Librarian of Congress, said people who “jailbroke” their mobile phones would “not be subject to the statutory prohibition against circumvention”.
Apple said the new rule could “severely degrade the iPhone experience, and cause the device to become unstable and not work reliably”. EFF welcomed the decision: “The Copyright Office recognises that the primary purpose of the locks on cell phones is to bind customers to their existing networks, rather than to protect copyrights” said EFF spokesman and added that more than a million iPhone owners are already said to have ‘jailbroken’ their handsets in order to change wireless providers.