C.I.D.

[anonymous-remailer@shell.portal.com]

How can we defeat caller I.D.?  It used to be that if you wanted
to have anonymous e-mail, you could sign on to a BBS.  But I am
scared by the new modems that are equipped to log caller I.D.

The general public believes that if they want to remain anonymous,
they can defeat caller ID by dialling *67 before making a call,
that way making sure that their number is not revealed.  Ha!
This is true, but not the full truth ... because Big Brother
still has the number:

The calling number is sent between switches always, regardless
of whether or not *67 (Caller ID Block) is dialed. It just
sends along a privacy indicator if you dial *67, and then the
final switch in the path will send a "P" instead of the calling
number to the Caller ID box.

(But it will still store the actual number - *69 will work
whether or not the caller dialed *67).

What the final switch along the path does with the calling
number depends on how the switch is configured.  If you are not
paying for Caller ID service, the switch is configured so that
it will not transmit the Caller ID data.

Before this, if you wanted to make sure a system didn't trace
you back, you could call through a few diverters, PABXs, etc.
However, today with Caller ID, your call information will be
routed from diverter to PABX to system instead of stopping at
the first diverter.

The effect call forwarding has on the various services is
interesting... Say I have my home telephone forwarded to
Lunatic Labs, and it has Caller ID.  If you call me, the call
will forward to Lunatic Labs, and its Caller ID box will show
YOUR number, not mine (since your line is the actual one making
the call).  Does this get you thinking?

Anybody knows of a way to *really* defeat caller I.D.?

Or, absent that, a more appropriate mailing list than this for
such questions?

  |[]|[]|[]|[]|[]|
  "The Happy Fool"�
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PS: I did not want to participate in the great logo debate a while
back, but if you want my 2C's, I think a simple padlock would be a
great symbol, especially for an icon to do unbreakable encryption:
Click it and seal.  Elaborate? Then just put it on a red wax-seal.