From: gimonca@skypoint.com (Charles Gimon)
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 1996 14:06:19 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Can't block caller ID in Massachusetts? (fwd)
Message-ID: <m0uer9L-0001uYC@skypoint.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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