"This is physically true, but not always legal. It's illegal, for example, to listen to the cellular band."
This varies greatly from country to country. In Poland for example it was legal to listen to the analog "Centertel" cellular phones in 450-470 MHz (this system has been obsoleted by GSM a few years ago). As far as i know it is also legal to intercept GSM/DCS signals, since they are "broadcast" - and it would also be legal to try to decipher them. What would be illegal is a man-in-the-middle attack against a cellular phone (since you would have to transmit in this band, and that would require licensed equipment, and a broadcast license).

"Also, while it's legal to listen in on other bands, there are sometimes restrictions on what you're allowed to do with the information afterwards."
Again - not in all countries. In the USA it is illegal to record a CB conversation, and replay it in the radio, or TV. In Poland there are no such silly rules, well except one:
One idiocy we can't get rid of is that interception of national television and radio station broadcasts requires a monthly fee for the tv and the radio). This law is a leftover from old times.



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