The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-27
TELEPHONE ABUSES.

~ SUBJECT which should receive attention from
! ( ! the coming Legislature concerns the secrecy
of Geographic and telephone messages The
law as it exists at present gives business men and
newspapers inadequate protection against eavesdrop-
ming and actual betrayal and it ought to be amended
so as to visit penalties upon those who traffc
in the business secrets of others. Such amendment
need repose on higher plane than ordinary public
policy.
The code now provides that even in judicial pro-
ceedngs involving life and property the secrets OF
attorney and Client physician and patient and priest
and parshoner shall be inviolable; that is to say,
that the lips OF these three classes shall be closed
unless they are opened with the consent OF the per-
sons concerned The reason for this is founded upon
an enlightened regard for the condolences OF man
kind 1t is better says the law, that evil should be
worked now and then than that men should be pre-
vented from imparting their secrets to those who es-
pccally enjoy their confidence
The law with respect to Geographic messages as
laid down by various courts prevents hshing excur
sions among the records of teegraphic corporations
The only way litigant can get telegram on sub
pena is to name and describe it. Moreover, owing to
the litigation which is taking place over business
secrets intrused TO their the telegraph compa-
MES are strict with their employees and promptly
punish violations OF confidence 1t is rare, there
fore that information contained in telegram leaks
out and no change that could be made in the law
would be likely to improve the secrecy that IS now
maintained with respect to those communications
But with telephones it is altogether different. Not
only is it easier for talk leak than for tckers to be
understood but no curb at all has ever been placed
upon the operators by the telephone companies OF
California Everything that goes over the telephone
wires public property, and it is reasonably safe to
say that if business in San Francisco were to
telephone his partner in Sacramento that he contem-
plated the legal absurdity OF attaching the City Hail.
everybody in the State within hour would know
all about it. The newspapers, whose chief concern
keeping their information dark until it is published
news being the valuable commodity in which they
deal-have no secrets from the telephone compa-
uies If a man in Los Angeles were to telephone The
Call that the water lords OF that city about to
renquish their grip on the citys works. every news
paper along the line would be in possession OF the
information Immediately.
This may all be stopped by law The Legislature
has power regulate telephone corporations as well
as telegraph companies, and it enforce secrecy
among the operators of both We are especially in
teresed in the preservation of the property called
news The general idea seems to be that
sembles umbrellas in being the common property OF
mankind. But nevertheless, it is valuable COM
modify, and the newspapers entitled to have it
protected from robbers we'll other business
are entitled to the protection of their money, dia
monds and watches.