Caller ID service is ruled illegal in Pennsylvania

Article Abstract:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that automatic number identification, or Caller ID, is illegal in that state because it violates wiretap laws, but it made no decision on whether or not Caller ID violates issues of privacy. Caller ID allows telephone customers to see the telephone numbers of those who call them, and is touted by Caller ID companies like Bell of Pennsylvania as a method of deterring harassing or obscene calls. Caller ID customers generally have unlisted phone numbers and subscribe to the service to protect their privacy further. Critics of the service, including consumer and special interests groups, contend that privacy is not protected and that telemarketing companies can use information from the service in their solicitation. Blocking mechanisms are available, but even with those, fears proliferate that hotlines and tip lines, relying on anonymity, will be thwarted by the service. The social and legal issues raised in Pennsylvania will affect Caller ID usage in others states that require both parties to consent to 'trap-and-trace' devices' use.

Telephone communications, exc. radio, Laws, regulations and rules, Privacy, Social conditions, Market Analysis, Legal Issues, Social Issue, Confidentiality, Regulation, Caller ID telephone service, Caller ID, Automatic number identification (Telecommunications), Pennsylvania. Supreme Court, Blocking

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But are they useful?

Article Abstract:

Portable computing devices will become widely available to consumers in the 1990s, and new services designed to make them attractive to casual users are beginning to emerge. Several companies offer sports-information services via pagers that can display text. Way to Go Corp sells a $199 hand-held device in the San Francisco area that receives traffic updates over paging frequencies and 'speaks' them aloud via voice synthesis; it charges $15 a month for the service. Motorola Inc's Embarc wireless electronic-mail service lets subscribers access special news and weather summaries from USA Today for a similar fee. Other firms are offering wireless portfolio-management services, services that help drivers navigate in unfamiliar areas or specially-tailored news reports.

Usage, Services, Telecommunications services industry, Telecommunications industry, Technological forecasting, Information services, Laptop computers, Portable computers, End users, Laptop/Portable Computer, User Need, Outlook, Future of Computing

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