Reply to: Phone Ban

[Lucifer Box]

It's not unheard of. One of my clients has a total ban on mobile phones at their site. You leave them in lockers at reception. Last person caught on site with a mobile was arrested by the old bill. Mind you, they make bombs so it's not surprising really.

[darmstadt]

I've been to a lot of sites where I've had to turn my mobile (we call them handys here BTW) off, particularly secure sites. When I worked at the Porsche development and test center, if your phone had a camera you had to leave it with security otherwise okay. Interestingly enough where I am now there are no cameras allowed but it doesn't say anything about phones with cameras. When I was working at IBM in Poughkeepsie last year no cameras were allowed yet we used one to do screen captures of SMITTY on AIX systems...

[NickFitz]

Is it GCHQ? They make you leave phones, Furbys, etc. at the gate.

When I was there a couple of years ago the new building was just going live and they had detecting devices around the main ring walkway, its quite embarrassing when you forget to leave it in the car!

Teach you not to take your Furby to work

[richard-af]

I believe the main reason that the gov is getting tetchy about mobile phones in secure areas is because they all have camera's built in these days, cameras have always been banned on secure government sites unless you have special permission, sounds reasonable to me.

And they steal one's soul. I eat raw garlic to counteract this evil menace.

[gingerjedi]

I believe the main reason that the gov is getting tetchy about mobile phones in secure areas is because they all have camera's built in these days, cameras have always been banned on secure government sites unless you have special permission, sounds reasonable to me.

[richard-af]

Only criminals have human rights. Keep up with the rest of the class.

They have a lot of our phones, too.

[chicane]

what about your human rights?

Only criminals have human rights. Keep up with the rest of the class.

[mrdonuts]

what about your human rights?

[gingerjedi]

Is it GCHQ? They make you leave phones, Furbys, etc. at the gate.

When I was there a couple of years ago the new building was just going live and they had detecting devices around the main ring walkway, its quite embarrassing when you forget to leave it in the car!

[VectraMan]

Despite what I said before, if it was for genuine security reasons I would probably go along with it. I thought it was a "you should be working" type directive.

[Cooperinliverp00l]

I’d love to ban mobile phones (and landlines sometimes) in my office, but I am all alone here and the only calls I get are business. It would not bother me to be on site with a ban like that.

I am more interested to know the reason why they want to ban mobile phones. Is it tracking and bugging or is it the data carrying capabilities. If the latter, why just have them switched off and not include other devices. If the former, well what about the rest of us!

However, I’d put money on it being some anal, public sector, Nazi, thick-o who dreamed it up because it was their brief to improve ‘security’. I doubt if there is a sensible reason for it.

I believe it is the capabilities of looking at something and phoning some up about it ??? we are aloud to use our phones in the corridors but not in the secure rooms. I do sometimes sit here and think if i wanted to get data out of this company that could cause some serieous damage if in the hands of the wrong people then why couldn't i just walk 10 mins from my desk and use my phone there ?? not sure if this idea has really been thought through.

I keep my phone on silent at the moment and will continue to keep it on silent.

[daviejones]

Yes very professional

OI, Miss Blaze Dazzlejugs....that's cheeky!!!

[Buffoon]

I’d love to ban mobile phones (and landlines sometimes) in my office, but I am all alone here and the only calls I get are business. It would not bother me to be on site with a ban like that.

I am more interested to know the reason why they want to ban mobile phones. Is it tracking and bugging or is it the data carrying capabilities. If the latter, why just have them switched off and not include other devices. If the former, well what about the rest of us!

However, I’d put money on it being some anal, public sector, Nazi, thick-o who dreamed it up because it was their brief to improve ‘security’. I doubt if there is a sensible reason for it.

[poser]

if you got a landline at your desk why dont your forward your calls to that number?

[WindyAnna]

I worked somewhere that had a phone ban (secure site) where you had to leave your phone at reception ... and if you didn't there was a device that did something weird to the signal so you had no service unless you went out onto the road!

The fact that they tell you that you can use it at lunchtimes and breaks kind of invalidates the security argument tho' dunnit?? Anyway they always use their mobile phones on Spooks!!

I worked for a customer who also had a mobile phone ban in the office but the client used to moan if she couldn't get hold of us?!

Windy