Congresswoman Jackie Spier proposed a bill that will force everyone to register their personal ID before buying a cellphone, effectively banning ‘burner’ phones.

A ‘burner’ is a pre-paid phone which can be bought anonymously and disposed of once used up.

Spier argues that the measure would “close one of the most significant gaps in our ability to track and prevent acts of terror, drug trafficking, and modern-day slavery.”

She claims that the ‘burner phone’ is a loophole in the country’s legal framework which allows terrorists to communicate, and that they were successfully used by terrorists such as the 9/11 hijackers, the Times Square bomber, and the Paris attackers.

“As we’ve seen so vividly over the past few days, we cannot afford to take these kinds of risks. It’s time to close this burner phone loophole for good,” she added.

The bill will be discussed in Congress next week.

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