The Librarian of Congress decided in October 2012 that unlocking of cell phones would be removed from the list of exceptions to the DMCA. This decision was made without public discussion. The beneficiaries of this action are cell phone manufacturers and other communication companies. At the same time, this action makes thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of American citizens who have purchase cell phones into criminals. The zealous prosecution of the Aaron Swartz by the US government has shown that this is a serious rather than theoretical concern.
We ask the White House to create a panel to investigate the Library of Congress action and to provide a report that will provide transparency to this action.