Furloughed Fed Workers Could Be Fired for Smartphone Use

Because of the U.S. federal government shutdown, upwards of a million workers have been sent home. No pay, no work -- it seems like a fair tradeoff.

In fact, it's not just a tradeoff, but an ironclad requirement that could result in furloughed employees getting a pink slip for using a smartphone, according to Politico. Yup, make use of that government-supplied device and if you're a U.S. employee you could find yourself in the unemployment line -- and only because that is a state-run program, not a federal one, in which case the unemployment office would be closed.