A petition submitted to the White House demands the Librarian of Congress to rescind his recent decision which removed the unlocking of cellphones from the exceptions to the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Due to the Librarian's decision, the unlocking of cellphones effectively becomes illegal in the U.S. on Jan. 26.

"As of January 26, consumers will no longer be able unlock their phones for use on a different network without carrier permission, even after their contract has expired," reads the petition. "Consumers will be forced to pay exorbitant roaming fees to make calls while traveling abroad. It reduces consumer choice, and decreases the resale value of devices that consumers have paid for in full."

Created by "S. K." from San Francisco, CA, the petition needs to reach 100,000 signatures before February 23 in order to get a response from the White House — the White House recently raised the threshold from 25,000 signatures. At the time of this writing, 3,121 people have signed the petition.

"We ask that the White House ask the Librarian of Congress to rescind this decision, and failing that, champion a bill that makes unlocking permanently legal," the petition text concludes.

Should unlocking of cell phones be legal or illegal? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image credit: Flickr/Dwayne Bent