A new service just launched allows cellphone users to unmask the Caller ID on blocked incoming calls, obtaining the phone number, and in some cases the name and address, of the no-longer-anonymous caller.
The service, called TrapCall, is offered by New Jersey’s TelTech systems, the company behind the controversial SpoofCard Caller ID spoofing service. The new service is likely to be even more controversial — and popular.
“What’s really interesting is that they’ve totally taken the privacy out of Caller ID,” says hacker Kevin Mitnick, who alpha-tested the service.
I’d say – more accurately – they’ve taken the anonymity out of Caller ID. Why should “privacy” calling someone be a right?
TrapCall’s basic unmasking service is free, and includes the option of blacklisting unwanted callers by phone number. It also allows you to listen to your voicemail over the web. It’s currently available to AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers, with support for the other major carriers due within weeks, says TelTech president Meir Cohen.
“It’s not meant for spies, it’s not meant for geeks, it’s not meant for any specific target audience,” Cohen says. “Everybody hates getting blocked calls, and in this day and age they want to know who’s calling, and they want the option of taking the call or not.”
#20–Pedro==thats true but my post was about the individuals relationship to his own desire for anonymity/privacy. Close, but a very different thing.
You are focusing on what the government does/doesn’t do. I am focusing on a person’s individual assessment of that and what it means to his own self awareness.
We all desire self awareness don’t we?
#18
Don’t bother with the pigeons, I shoot them around here. Gives new meaning to getting cutoff.
I use a calling card when I make calls from home on behalf of my business. My clients have told me it shows on Caller ID as an Ontario number. (Its the number of the calling card phone company.)
Ontario is over 1,000 miles from my current location.
Can this new system track back a call placed through a calling card?
#23 The trail ends at the payment. If you paid cash for that card, no way to track you.
#24–pedro==in the coming information age the phone card number will be matched to the serial numbers of the cash used to purchase the phones and those bills will be routinely scanned for any dna matching. Surely if there is any justice in the world, fully 50% of all anonymous cash transactions will be fully known.
First we had Caller ID. Then Caller ID Blocker. Now we got Caller ID Blocker Reinstater. Next we’ll get Caller ID Blocker Reinstater Overrider.
I like it. Its like me selling guns to one guy, while selling bullet-proof vests to his enemy. Then telling the first guy about his enemies’ vests and urging him to buy bigger guns. Then I sell “Better and Improved!” vests to the enemy. And so on. I could keep it going forever!
Their implementation seems a bit half-assed: No wonder Mitch is the only guy who would put his name on it.
#26 “First we had Caller ID. Then Caller ID Blocker. Now we got Caller ID Blocker Reinstater. Next we’ll get Caller ID Blocker Reinstater Overrider.”
LMFAO! Isn’t technology great? I’m sure Adam Curry would think this is all a big conspiracy to generate revenue with more service fees. Heck, one doesn’t have to be that big of a conspiracy theorist to come up with that one.
You guys answer your phones? I only plug mine in when I need to call someone.
It’s funny how few of the jerks who say there should be no privacy posted under nicknames.
When the spanish(only) recordings stop calling me on my cellphone in the middle of my workday, then I’ll feel less hostile to blocked or unidentified numbers.
KarmaBaby said,
“First we had Caller ID. Then Caller ID Blocker. Now we got Caller ID Blocker Reinstater. Next we’ll get Caller ID Blocker Reinstater Overrider.”
You beat me to it, KarmaBaby, though I would precede that sequence with the state when we just talked with no ability to ID the caller, in The Good Old Days. I think the telco is playing us all for fools, to get more revenue outta us.
This story isn’t accurate.
The calling party-ID is transmitted along with a presentation restriction flag set to “yes”. All they are doing is not honoring the presentation flag in the initial address message. This is a violation of FCC rules and as such, this company will eventually get shut down.
Here in Texas, what they are doing is also a violation of the law. You have the right to make a private call. The (stupid) person on the other end can either answer it or let it go.
I can’t believe for one minute that our friends at Verizon and AT&T (death-star) would support this. They would/will get sued out of existence.
There are other ways to strip out the Calling Party Number, as well as the Billing Number. Easy, very easy.
I personally have my calling party number sent, but I have the name changed to show “Wireless Caller”. Sometimes I use my personal mobile phone for business. I don’t want my name plastered all over the place. I could careless about the number.
Stop crying like little babies on the inter-web tubes, and complain to your carrier(s), the FCC, and your local PUC.
OUT! (oh this call was recorded for training purposes)
My mother is repeatedly getting harrassed by some jackass scammer using these stupid spoof cards. The fake number is (408) 123-1234.
He calls her cell phone and tells her she has been randomly selected to receive 500 free minutes. The proceeds to ask for all kinds of private information.
She tells him that she is not interested and tells him to stop harrassing her, but he gets rude. She hangs up on him. But he keeps calling back. He won’t leave her alone.
AT&T is useless. They say there is nothing they can do, unless she pays to create a block number list. But that won’t work, because its obviously not a real phone number. All he has to do is fake another number and harrass her.
Can’t anyone put this damned spoof card company out of business???