From: torerik@cs.washington.edu (Tor Erik Jeremiassen)
Newsgroups: seattle.general,pnw.general
Subject: Re: Caller ID
Date: 28 Aug 92 16:37:21 GMT
Article-I.D.: beaver.1992Aug28.163721.2462
Distribution: pnw
Organization: Computer Science & Engineering, U. of Washington, Seattle

In article <1992Aug27.173000.9363@polari> peterk@polari.online.com writes:
>
[Dave Johnson's info on caller ID deleted]

>Two points. (1) A natural by-product of all progress seems to be that
>some clever folks will create needless complexity in our lives, and
>then sell us services to manage the complexity. Lawyers and insurance
>companies have been doing it for years ;-) Caller ID is just another
>example. 
 
 I guess creating the phone system in the first place was creating needless
 complexity. Now we're getting services to manage the complexity.

>
>If a person really wants to screen calls, an answering machine works
>just fine. I find that it stops most sales calls--they hang up before

As long as you go over to the ONE location in your residence where your
answering machine is located, wait for it to answer, wait for the outgoing
message to complete, and then hope that the calling party identifies
him/herself. 

With caller ID you get the calling number. If you recognize it, you have a
good idea of which group of people are calling (not necessarily exactly
which person is calling) and can make a decision to answer it or let the
answering machine handle it. If you don't recognize the number you can
still go ahead and answer it if it is not inconvenient to you, or you can
let the answering machine handle it if it's late at night, during dinner
etc.

>the outgoing message finishes. If someone is being harrassed, the phone
>company should make it possible to get the harrasser's phone number and
>report it to the police. But I resent an everyday means for anybody to
>get my phone number, especially when the phone co. forces me to pay to
>block it, AND subjects me to further inconvenience if I choose to block
>it, because others may then choose not to talk to me. 

 I would definitely not pick up my phone if anyone called me blocking the
 transmission of their phone number. Would you open the door to someone
 that was covering the peephole? Why should I accept a call from a 
 calling party that up front refuses to give any information to me? 

>
>The latter is especially insidious. It takes people who want to stop
>telemarketers from getting their number, or who want to call a public
>agency for information without calling attention to themselves, and
>lumps them in the same category as drug dealers and vengeful spouse
>abusers. It's the old "if you have nothing to hide, why should you
>object to this?" game.

 Well, if you call any of these services or businesses on their 800 number
 they already get your phone number delivered, often, if not always in real
 time. You cannot block that. Why haven't you been complaining about this
 earlier? 
>
>I can see it now: some companies or public agencies refuse to do
>business, render service or give information unless you unblock your
>number. They're not using it to *sell* you anything--they're merely
>informing you of important, exciting things that can save you money.
>Sure. Or can you imagine the IRS tying in their audit process to phone
>requests for tax information? The possibilities for abuse are chilling.

 Several of the government help lines are accessed using 800 numbers. Are
 you claiming that widespread abuse is prevalent already? Got any data to
 support any such claims?

>
>(2) Yes, there are other ways for telemarketers to "getcha if ya don't
>watch out." ;-)  However, I don't want to make it any easier for them
>than it already is. When I get an account with the phone company, I
>don't think this is an implicit authorization for them to sell every
>scrap of information about me to anyone who crosses their palm with a
>coin. Computerization and data transfer have made privacy a tenuous
>thing already. Caller ID is simply a further erosion.

 Unless you explicitly tell the phone company not to, they are going to
 sell your phone number and address to those businesses that want it and
 can pay for it. By the way, whenever you send a change of address card in
 to your local postmaster, that information has customary been made
 available to interested businesses.
>
>Here's what I do now, without caller ID. When I don't want calls, I
>shut off the bell to my phone and turn on the answering machine. I've

 What you could do with caller ID is to only allow calls through that
 originate from a certain set of numbers that you can specify and change
 according to the situation. The equipment to do this is available. 

[stuff deleted]


Tor Jeremiassen
Xref: sparky seattle.general:2916 pnw.general:2033