Forwarded message:
From: David Mazieres <dm@amsterdam.lcs.mit.edu> To: cypherpunks@toad.com Subject: Can't block caller ID in Massachusetts?
My last phone bill said that Nynex is now giving out people's names in addidtion to their phone numbers over caller-id. I therefore called Nynex and told them to block caller-id on my phone line.
They said no problem, but... They said nothing I can do will block it when I call 800 numbers. "The people with 800 numbers have special software, and there is nothing you can do to block your identity when calling them. Not even *67."
Wow. Maybe I'm not paranoid enough, but I never expected this. I can never again call an 800 number anonymously to get information about something unless I go out to a pay phone. What an incredible inconvenience, and how truly depressing.
This has been true for years. On 800 numbers, the receiver gets ANI, not CID. Check newsgroups like alt.dcom.telecom, comp.dcom.telecom, etc.: there's always somebody talking about CID and ANI. In the back of my mind, I remember hearing about an anonymizer for 800-number calls. Maybe at WilTel. Check the search engine of your choice. Personally, I like Caller ID, because it gives individuals a service that formerly only governments and corporations could get. --gimonca@skypoint.com