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simonasklast Friday at 11:30 PM5 repliesview on HN

And they are saying that it already is, naming a few examples of things that really need to be illegal to reprogram.

GPS et al would be non-functional if everybody could make a jammer.

(That’s not to say that app stores fall even remotely in that category.)


Replies

fluoridationlast Friday at 11:57 PM

I don't really understand your point in restating this. Someone who says "X should be true" isn't going to be convinced that X should be false by reminding them that X is in fact false.

>GPS et al would be non-functional if everybody could make a jammer.

Then it should be illegal to make a GPS jammer. Making it illegal to reprogram a GPS receiver in any way is unnecessarily broad.

show 1 reply
Fabricio20last Friday at 11:57 PM

How does being able to reprogram a GPS device make it into a jammer any more efficiently than grabbing three pieces of coal and running a few amps thru it? Or hell just buying an SDR on aliexpress!

The only reason it's "illegal" is because they were thinking people would use it to make missiles easily - but that's already the case even with non-reprogrammable gps. And in big 2025 you can also just use drones with bombs attached to it.

viraptorlast Saturday at 1:26 AM

Everyone can make a jammer already. (It's illegal to use one, but you're able to)

Hardware receivers cannot be reprogrammed as transmitters.

We already have well known areas with constant GPS manipulation. https://www.flightradar24.com/data/gps-jamming

codedokodelast Friday at 11:40 PM

How does reprogramming GPS receiver turn it into a jammer? To make a jammer, you better buy a cheap SDR from Aliexpress.

fennecbuttlast Saturday at 1:25 AM

In the same way that anybody can use a gun for violence, right?

They're becoming self aware!