From: allyn@milton.u.washington.edu (Allyn Weaks)
Newsgroups: seattle.general,pnw.general
Subject: Re: Caller ID
Date: 1 Sep 92 04:45:37 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Sep1.044537.5487
Distribution: pnw
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

From: alpinist@eskimo.celestial.com (David Butler)
>   This seems to be one of the main arguments against caller ID.  The fact
>that you might get your name on a phone list.  (horrors)  Lets see ... if
>you pay for anything by credit card, if you order a magazine, if you buy
[...]

The problem with not being able to make an 'anonymous' phone call to a
business is _NOT_ being put on a mailing list.  The problem is that even
small businesses can, before they answer the call 
   1) look up your name and address (data from the phone company) 
   2) correlate that address with your estimated income (data from the
census) 
   3) know whether the number is from a rental unit 
       or if from your own house, how much it's worth  (city tax records)

   4) merge your name and address into information bought from TRW
        on how much money you spend how
   5) look up your past record with them 

Are you a complainer?  Hassling them to honor their warranty?  Don't
answer, or at least direct the call to the infinite hold line (with the
really obnoxious "music").  Are you from a poor neighborhood?  Then you
probably aren't going to buy anything anyway, we'll direct you to the
third-class stream.  Do you have a Spanish name?  Then we don't want to
talk to you at all.  Are you from a rich WASP neighborhood?  Step to the
front of the line... You don't think it'll happen? It already happens on
800 numbers.  The systems to do such things are for sale now and getting
cheaper all the time.

Just because ANI already exists is Absolutely Not a good reason for
extending it throughout the universe.  ANI should not be available for 800
numbers.  Yes, 800 numbers have the right to know who's called because they
pay for the call.  When they get their bill, like everyone else.  Not
before they answer the phone.  Another problem with ANI and credit cards
put together: many mail-order places keep your credit number and past phone
numbers on file for 'convenience', and use the ANI number as
'confirmation'.  Anyone calling from that number can make an additional
purchase even without knowning the credit card number, and can usually have
the purchase redirected to any address.  If that number happens to be an
office phone, you can get screwed.

The advantage of anonymity for real, honest, law-abiding people is that it
helps to enforce equality and the ideal of innocent until proven guilty.
Remember that?  It sure as hell seems to be disappearing these days.
Remember the bad old days of "blacks to the back of the bus"?  Caller ID
lets that kind of thing come back in a nasty insidious way.  

I'm in favor of Caller ID only under the following circumstances:  it's for
individuals, not businesses or government agencies; and per-line blocking
is free and the default.  The phone company will never agree to the first
one.  It's been suggested, and their answer is, oh, but then we wouldn't
make a lot of money, so it wouldn't be worth doing.  They probably won't
agree to the second.  Again, it's businesses and government agencies that
want your number and will pay most to get it.  If it's easy to block the
line, most people will block the line, making it less profitable for
business.  Never think that the phone company is interested in customer
service and making your life better or easier...

If you really want to restrict callers so badly, you can buy a box for
about $50 that will require a caller to key in an extension number.  Based
on the extension number received (or not received) you can direct the call
to the machine, the bit bucket or the ringer or probably the fax or modem.
All the advantages with none of the disadvantages, and it's cheaper to use
than Caller ID over a year at $3/month plus installation.

To avoid teledroids, tell them politely not to ever call back.  WA State
law says that if they do call back within a year, they pay a $100 fine.
I've never had anyone call back twice, and after a week or so of doing that
(all of about 5 calls, terribly painful and agravating, I must have lost
all of 5 minutes total of my life), I never get sales calls from anyone
anymore.  TeleSlime-free for about 9 months now, and I don't even bother
with an answering machine to screen calls.

Maybe it's time to give some more money to the ACLU...

Ally Weaks
allyn@milton.u.washington.edu
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