Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: Bernie Cosell <cosell@bbn.com>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Caller-ID
Message-ID: <2508@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 31 Dec 89 14:09:36 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 603, message 6 of 8


blade@darkside.com (The Blade) writes:

}I heard in PA. that they are having trouble passing it through the
}courts, which is my case is good.  CID would mean almost an end to
}phreaking, and hacking for that matter.  It would save millions in
}lost revenue for the long distance companies, and almost wipe out
}illegally using these codes from one's residence.  ...

}[Moderator's Note: If it is *good* in your opinion that long distance
}companies lose millions in revenue to phreaks who work from the
}comfort and privacy of their home to steal phone service and
}burglarize computer systems (usually both at the same time) with ease,
}then I would say that's all the more reason to implement CID -- ASAP!

Nonsense.  And again, the CID wanters seem to think of themselves as
vigilantes and so argue that giving THEM the number is the way to
bring the forces of justice to bear. Further, in the case of
phreaking, they generally call someone who WANTs to talk to them, no?
So why does it matter if the person you call can figure out your
number... they either already know it or you'd probably just tell
them.  The problem with phreaking is figuring out that it is
happening, NOT figuring out where the call is coming from.

I still think we would be MUCH better off with a bunch of very strict
"privacy of information" laws making it _very_ hard [e.g., requiring a
court order] to allow ANYONE to 'peek' into the phone company's
electronic dossier; treat that information like your medical records.
Everything _legitimate_ that you can do with CID you can do just as
well by having the phone company manage information [and still keep it
as protected as possible].

  /Bernie\