Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!lll-lcc!ames!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hplabsz!taylor From: justin@inmet (Justin Du Coeur) Newsgroups: comp.society Subject: Re: Telephone Privacy Issues Message-ID: <1168@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM> Date: Sun, 6-Dec-87 00:14:23 EST Article-I.D.: hplabsz.1168 Posted: Sun Dec 6 00:14:23 1987 Date-Received: Thu, 10-Dec-87 23:50:52 EST Sender: taylor@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM Lines: 15 Approved: taylor@hplabs John C. Wyman writes about computer phone calls, and asks what can be done to prevent such a thing happening in the future... The thing for you to do is to press for some legislation. Massachusetts is currently implementing a scheme to deal with exactly this. Last month, all (I think) homes were sent a card by New England Telephone. If you sign and return the card, this theoretically protects you from computer junk calls. Basically, all firms using computer-generated calls are now required by law to register with New England Tele., who will supply them with a list of phone numbers that they are not allowed to call. Frankly, I think that the cost of maintaining this list on-line, and checking every prospective number against it, is going to drive a lot of the computer junk callers out of the Mass. market. Good riddance. -- Justin du Coeur