From: palmer@icat.larc.nasa.gov (Michael T. Palmer)
Newsgroups: comp.society.privacy
Subject: Re: Op-ed piece on telephone Caller ID
Date: 25 Jan 93 13:35:09 GMT
Organization: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA  USA
X-Submissions-To: comp-privacy@pica.army.mil
X-Administrivia-To: comp-privacy-request@pica.army.mil
X-Computer-Privacy-Digest: Volume 2, Issue 010, Message 6 of 11

Terry.Parks@launchpad.unc.edu (Terry Parks) writes:

>>Bad example. Ordered a pizza by phone lately?

>	"Hello, Pete's Pizza and Pasta, Pete speaking."
>	"I'd like a pizza Pete please."
>	"Okay, what's your name and phone number?"
>	"I'm not going to tell you, it's my privacy."
>        "Click..."

>Does this mean you have never gotten an unwanted phone call?

>>I'd rather choose who has access to that information.

>You do, in fact you have TOTAL CONTROL over who can get your number with
>Caller ID. Unlike the many other ways over which you have no control
>and have nothing to do with Caller ID. If you don't want me to have
>your phone number, then don't call me.

Terry, you're missing the entire point.  Sure, when you call someone to
place an order (whether for killing ants or delivering a pizza), your name
and address are *required* for the services to be delivered.

However, if you're just calling to find out how much a particular
exterminator *charges* for his services, you don't want to be placed on
his mailing list from now until kingdom come, and also to have him sell
your name and address to who knows whom (kiddie porn magazines?).  And
if you call to find out the movie times for JFK, you don't want the
movie house selling your name to book companies that deluge you with
offers for other conspiracy theory books and magazines.

THIS IS THE POINT -> When you use your telephone to request information
from a business to DETERMINE IF YOU EVEN WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH THEM
you should not have to surrender your privacy.  Maybe YOU just call the
first exterminator in the book and say "Come kill my ants, I don't care
what you charge" but REAL PEOPLE do care what they're being charged.
So we call around to find the best price for the best service.  Why
should using the telephone be any different from walking into their
store and asking them for their prices?  Do you honestly believe that
you should have to turn over your name, address, and phone number
before they'll even talk to you?

So quit with the silly anecdotes about ordering a pizza and then not
saying what your address is.  I UNDERSTAND that you want to control who
calls your home and interrupts you... but CNID alone doesn't serve your
purposes well, and causes a great deal of other problems.  Like another
poster mentioned, let's look for solutions like the box that won't even
ring your phone unless the caller types in a code - so no matter where
your girlfriend/wife/child is calling from (a home with per-line
blocking?  with your current setup you wouldn't even answer it because
it's blocked!) your phone will RING and you'll ANSWER IT because you
KNOW it's someone you want to talk to.

-- 
Michael T. Palmer         |  "A man is crazy who writes a secret in any
m.t.palmer@larc.nasa.gov  |   other way than one which will conceal it
RIPEM key on server       |   from the vulgar." - Roger Bacon