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Delta calls the cops on Viber CEO for using his own app mid-air

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By Daniel Petrov

Published: May 09, 2012, 3:22 AM

Android Apps

Delta calls the cops on Viber CEO for using his own app mid-air

Talmon Marco, the CEO of the popular VoIP app Viber, was caught red-handed using his own up via the in-flight Internet service GoGo on a Delta aircraft. The flight attendant kindly asked him to stop as there was an FAA policy against the usage of VoIP app such as Skype and the like, to which the CEO responded that he is not aware of any such rule, and kept on yapping.

It turned out that this actually is a Delta rule, made for the comfort of other passengers, which anyone that has been sitting next to a chatterbox on a plane can wholeheartedly agree with. Another flight attendant that came to remedy the situation, said that it was actually a rule of the GoGo in-flight Wi-Fi service, and handed Mr Marco an FAA brochure.

He tried to take a picture of it, at which point the attendant decided to transform her mere opinion about the CEO as a difficult passenger into action, and called on the La Guardia airport cops to wait on the tarmac. What happened next?

Ok.. The cops filled a report and let me go. They were pretty rude to begin with – “they tell you to turn off devices, that’s what you do.. “. Took several minutes until I managed to convey the fact I was on an “approved electronic device” at above 10k ft. in flight mode using their own service.. Eventually they said they actually don’t think it’s a problem..

So, remember, no VoIP apps on Delta flights, and no Words with Friends on AA. United seems to be up for anything, as no celeb or CEO has been reported for geeky wrongdoing during flight there.

via TNW

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.