Engel Antispoofing Bill Heads to the Senate

Good news. U.S. Congressman Eliot Engel’s bill to stop the use of spoofed Caller IDs to con people out of their personal information (ostensibly to drain their bank accounts), was approved today by the House by a unanimous voice vote.

It now heads for the Senate.

The bill, H.R. 251, the "Truth in Caller ID Act", makes it illegal for anyone to alter a caller ID with “intent to defraud or cause harm” (EPIC's Mark Rottenberg supplied this language to ensure the few legitimate uses of this technology remain lawful).

The penalties are not nearly harsh enough - a year in jail/$10,000 in fines - and it's not going to stop international criminal gangs from signing up and using in-market sites like SpoofCard.com, but for consumers sick and tired of seeing evil and stupidity go rewarded, it's a start.

Congressman Engel deserves a lot of credit for tackling this issue.