Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!lll-winken!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway
From: covert@covert.enet.dec.com (John R. Covert  21-Aug-1989 1735)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Caller ID -- A Bad Idea
Message-ID: <telecom-v09i0320m01@vector.dallas.tx.us>
Date: 21 Aug 89 21:59:47 GMT
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 320, message 1 of 10

I'm going to be as brief as possible, since this has been argued before.

These are the two most often stated benefits:

	1. Gathering numbers for voicemail systems.
	2. Stopping harrassing phone calls.

The first is not real.  The number I'm calling from is not necessarily the
number I want the call returned to.  It may not even support incoming calls.

The second does not require caller ID to the end-user. As currently implemented
a subscriber who doesn't have a display can still trap harrassing callers by
dialling a special code after the call, causing the number to be given to the
phone company or police harrassment center.

/john