Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!elroy!cit-vax!woolstar
From: woolstar@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (John D Woolverton)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Information about Answering Machine
Message-ID: <10085@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Date: 18 Mar 89 06:13:52 GMT
References: <693@eplunix.UUCP>
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Lines: 41

> The problem is for confidential recipients, like
> suicide lines, and unlisted callers. Do you *really* want the
> suicide hotline to have your number if you call? Or to give
> out your unlisted number every time you call for pizza?

   Not everyone cares if other people know their phone number,
and not everyone cares who is calling them.  So give the 
caller a choice.  If every phone had it's number, and an
alternate id, and you gave the caller the choice on what
to send, this should cover all bases:

Send normal number: <area code> <xxx> <yyyy>
Send id:    <area code> <0XX> <YYYY>
Send blank: <area code> <001> <0000>

For phone solisitations, the caller may wish to leave
a phone number, for return calls, or mearly the id.
People can set their phones to screen all calls 
that are hidden or blanked, or to screen calls
from all but select people.  

This would also add a possible additional security
layer for phone in modems.  Though how secure are
the phone company computer?  ID faking?  Ghost phones?
Another usefull thing about unique IDs:  you can
still register a complaint with the police of the
phone company even if the other caller masks his
call and send the "id".  You don't know who it is
but the phone company can find out.

And finally, for people REALLY worried about being
anonymous for calling in about taxes, drugs, or
other things:  There's always pay phones.
(At least until they do away with money, and 
   go to computerized bank cards universally.  :-)

-- 
    John D Woolverton               "Association of computing stuff..."
      woolstar@csvax.caltech.edu

My association with anything, is just imaginary.