[SanFrancisco]

A locked phone simply means that the code on the phone's chip is programmed to work with a specific carrier's service.

When unlocking the phone, one is simply changing the code so that the phone can be used with any carrier.

Unlocking a phone sounds illegal because of what the word implies. It sounds illegal to unlock something that someone else has locked.

But a phone legally purchased is your property and you should be able to use it any way you want [with the carrier of your choice]. That is why unlocking YOUR phone is NOT illegal.

In fact, there was some controversy in Washington, D.C. about all this. They were considering a law that would preclude a carrier from implying to customers that a phone could only be used with that carrier. The subject came up when they were discussing the portability of cell numbers [being able to keep your phone number when switching carriers].

People who are selling unlocking programs are legally providing the code to get rid of a particular carrier's "lock code" that tells the phone to only work with that carrier's service.