phupp@warwick.ac.uk (S Millington) (01/08/90)
A few days ago, I think the 5th Jan, I saw "NBC Nightly News"; rebroadcast in the UK by "SKY News". I only caught the end of it, but basicly it was about this subject of telephone companies sending the callers number to the recipient. As a summary of what I can remember - -- the number is sent regerdless of whether the caller is ex-directory or not. -- the technology for any, including ex-directory, caller to overide the transmition of their number is available, it is up to the telephone company to use it. -- ex-directory customers are still being charged for their now defunct service. -- recievers are being charged to recieve these numbers.[ hey nice deal these telephone companies have got going here!]. -- the justified use of these numbers is that mail order companies, etc can check whether a caller is calling from one address and asking for goods at another[is someone playing triks on the dial-a-piza]. -- BUT these companies can now sell these numbers and addresses as mailing lists to other companies - including ex-directory numbers. This surely is the end of the true ex-directory number. Was there anything interesting in the first half of the story? Stuart Millington. phupp@poppy.