The NSW political scene seems to have forgotten the lessons learned a decade ago regarding the laws of physics and the limitations on legislative amendments or disallowable instruments. With an upcoming election, they are once again tempting fate by floating strange yet potentially resonant ideas among the voters.

One such idea is an apparent NSW Labor initiative to introduce mobile phone jammers and other device management technology into schools to discourage students from using social media and other distractions during class time. Whether this is a good idea or not, remains to be seen, but it has certainly caused a stir and could become a talking point at the weekend barbecue.

Solutionist doctrine

It’s not so much a policy as a gimmick looking for an instant social media audience and a quick headline.

This was, perhaps, inevitable.

So far the election campaign season in the Convict State has been worryingly civil — NSW has fixed four-year terms — so it was only a matter of time before some focus-group propelled rabbit was going to be yanked by the ears from the magic policy hat and thrown to send the dogs running in a new direction.

So far, the mystical school mobile phone controller looks to be something of a policy ‘media drop’ gone awry. There might be some tech behind it but how could anyone tell?

Be afraid

It appears the latest phone jammer was bowled-up to the Daily Telegraph, which summarily savaged it. So, that’s not good.

One part of the sell-in gone wrong appears to be the acres of previous stories on prison-based mobile phone thwarting gone sour. The other part could be it got sent to Nine before News Corp. Whatevs.

There are real reasons why jails have had problems nuking mobiles from the inside, despite a long-running campaign under the previous NSW government.

Put simply, that was a fan-forced faecal festival, with everyone from the cops to ambos to garage door companies telling former NSW attorney-general John Hatzistergos to stop trying to DIY a prison jammer.

Electronic warfare types held little truck with the idea, essentially labelling it a doctrine of service denial that was incompatible with everyday service availability.

But communications have evolved.

Hope you like jamming too …

The so-called ‘jamming’ technology used at the moment is limited in its technical description (for obvious reasons) but is more of a forced routing solution than a jammer per se.

We’ll come back to that, bear with us.

What really stands out in the current proposed solution for schools is it has all the tell-tale hallmarks of vapourware. A catchy name, a shiny website and no customer references or case studies. Technical details are equally scant.

The real giveaway is the lack of a phone number, or profiles of founders, or backers for a company calling itself Educell Technologies — not to be confused with the far more googleable Slovenian stem-cell biotech with the same name.

Archives of Educell’s online presence reveal its website was only minted in December 2021, raising more questions.

Even its key staff page (and it’s not a big company) has been conveniently if conspicuously 404ed (yanked from public view).

Fortunately, the internet still has a short-term memory and the luminary team’s bios can still be exhumed.

Remote control

Many companies are vying for a position on the NSW Department of Education’s procurement system. However, those selling technical solutions, such as spyware or bossware, that remotely control student access to content through trackers and blockers are not immune from scrutiny. While these solutions may be perceived as necessary to fix serious problems, such as students engaging in improper behavior, they are often invasive and erode privacy.

Unfortunately, the NSW Education department’s attempt to address this issue led to a controversial decision. Brigadoon Software, a company that had previously attempted to sell phoenixed law enforcement software, attempted to sell their security software to the department. Brigadoon Software’s founder, an ex-cop from New York, was later convicted of selling Trojans and other illegal hacking tools. The quality of these tools was questionable, to say the least.

The story, published by The Register, presents a disturbing but amusing chronicle of the hustle around Brigadoon Software and its software offerings. It highlights the importance of caution when considering technologically defined solutions to complex problems. Instead of jumping on the latest craze, organizations should carefully evaluate whether such solutions truly address the issue at hand while avoiding further problems down the road.

Insufficient signal

The use of phone jammers as a commercial application has failed due to several reasons. Firstly, they don’t generate profits, but instead, disrupt signals and destroy capital, leading to frustration among those living in the vicinity of a jammer. Secondly, there are always low-tech options to bypass the purpose of a phone jammer. Thirdly, phone jammers deny individuals the freedom of choice and the consequences that come with it. Mobile phone bans for children in the digital age contradict the message that the digital world is their future.

A better approach is to elevate education and embrace technology. The NSW secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Michael Coutts-Trotter, opted for a policy that integrated technology, rather than ban it. Instead of implementing phone jammers or using Cat 5 cables, the department developed a WiFi network that filtered safe websites and applications. They also issued school laptops that were locked to the Department of Education network, making them less desirable to anyone who might steal them. While the laptops were ordinary, the policy was inclusive and propelled education within NSW forward a decade within a couple of years.

None of that is on display with the phone-jamming proposal.