Protecting Privacy and Curbs on New Phone Technology

Krauthammer is probably so busy reading industry press releases that he hasn’t much time to think through his praise for the Caller ID service.

There is a good reason that privacy advocates are concerned about the Caller ID service. It crosses a line--the phone companies will now be profiting from the sale of personal information. This is not about Luddism or fears of Big Brother, it’s about people’s willingness to decide which technologies are beneficial and which are not.

And for this particular service, it is not just the person who purchases Caller ID who is affected, but all of us who use telephones.

Krauthammer, for example, as a journalist might wonder what the impact of this service will be on his profession and the thousands of reporters who every day make calls to others, trying to dig out the facts for a story. With enough quarters they could well stand in the street, filling pay phones to the brim, but why should that be necessary. Or imagine how the Justice Department could use Caller ID to control communications with the press.

Caller ID is a gimmick. It will undermine privacy and stratify a universal phone system that up until now has largely placed all callers on the same level.

If Caller ID goes forward then a free blocking service should be available to anyone who asks. If you call Krauthammer’s home and want someone to pick up the phone, you’ll probably have to show your number. But for the rest of us who have accepted the risks of modern life, you can probably get through.

If Krauthammer so fears the intrusive call, there’s a couple of good low-tech solutions--unplug the phone or use an answering machine. Just don’t make all of us give up our privacy.

MARC ROTENBERG

Director, Computer Professionals

for Social Responsibility

Washington, D.C.