Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Caller ID Privacy Question Message-ID: Date: 7 Sep 89 14:18:25 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Reply-To: Bernie Cosell Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA Lines: 30 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 357, message 1 of 12 In article arnor!uri@uunet.uu.net (Uri Blumenthal) writes: }X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 351, message 2 of 5 }> device transmit the *name* of the caller, rather than the phone number, }> since this would (a) identify the caller by the name under which the telco }> carried him in its records; (b) probably be the same name under which I }> had made your aquaintence; and (c) protect the private phone number of the }> caller. In other words, the little box would read out, "Dr. Brown at home" }> or "Smith Telemarketing Co." etc...the same purpose would be served. PT] }You see, to have the name shown would be very nice, except for one little }thing. Just how many 'John Smith's may live in your neighborhood? Should }I check each one in case of problem? Or the next step in that direction }would be to show the caller address also (:-)? This is easy enough: All we need is a national "phone ID card", and in order to use *any* phone you should have to key in your magic-number. Then the little box can *absolutely* tell you who was calling. Not only that, but it'll also nail the miscreants even if they try to use pay phones! It also leaves the question of "unlisted phone numbers" out of the equation: they can just stay 'secret' since there is no real need to display the number. Remember: anonymity is just a cloak to hide evil doings! The more light we shed on our doings, to allow them to be more easily electronically tracked, to allow us to do our OWN 'enforcement', the better off we'll be. /Bernie\