Tech & Biz

Cell phone numbers up for sale

by John Astad | January 31, 2008 at 03:34 pm

3862 views | 18 Recommendations | 6 comments

The idea of the last refuge of privacy with your cell phone is heading south into the distant horizon when third party companies like Intelius Inc begin offering your cell number for sale.

Intelius Inc., a company that offers personal and criminal background checks and other “predictive intelligence,” began offering cell phone numbers in July as part of its phone number search service. The company said it was the first offering of its kind.

By Mark Collette
The Daily News

Currently a bill, the Wireless 411 Privacy Act has been referred to the Senate Commerce, and Transportation Committee to be amended to the Communications Act of 1932, which will prevent companies like Intelius Inc. from marketing your private cell phone number.

Three U.S. senators are pushing a bill to protect more than 250 million consumers from having their cell phone numbers listed in a 411 directory similar to directories available for residential phone numbers.

Intelius Inc seems to be banking on the idea of future corporate profits in the selling of private cell phone numbers when it recently filed for a $144 million IPO.

Intelius, which provides online background checks and sells cellphone directory information to consumers, filed papers on Thursday to go public.

The Bellevue company said it hopes to raise up to $143.8 million, and would trade under the symbol "INTL" on the Nasdaq, according to documents filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

By Tricia Duryee

Seattle Times technology reporter

Senate Committee Members Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Wireless 411 Privacy Act

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Rob Peters

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:18 on January 31st, 2008

Thanks watermon. Well-researched and interesting post.

Jordan Yerman

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:27 on January 31st, 2008

Very unsettling... basically, one's personal details become a sort or repeat hostage, ransomed over and over again.

John Astad

at 16:36 on January 31st, 2008

Thanks Rob and Jordan.

Yes it was a bit unnerving when I first read about in my local paper on the online edition of the Galveston Daily News. It seems like all this high tech has a few disadvantages along will all the positive aspects. Now I guess we'll have to find a happy medium. So bad it gets to the point that it all has to be legislated when there are more important issues like health care, transportation, education, etc.

matte

at 17:34 on January 31st, 2008

so basically it is just like a white pages listing directory?

Swan

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:12 on February 1st, 2008

Hello Watermon,

Great story - apparently they have an opt-out area, where they are supposed to remove your name and cell number, however I'm not sure I trust them for that. For all I know I could be giving them my number for the first time.

Intelius has about 90 million cell phone
records, which constitutes more than one-third of the cell phone
numbers in the United States.

Now that's pretty scary as far as I"m concerned!

Privacy in America? What a joke!

Great story Watermon, and well narrated. ;) After having read the original article, I'd like to have read even more of your own thoughts on the matter.
~ Swan

matte

at 23:32 on February 5th, 2008

but what is wrong with people being able to look your mobile number up in a phone book like they can do now for your landline??

John Astad

at 08:44 on February 6th, 2008

Nothing is wrong with that. It's just that many people don't want their cellphone number available in public phone directory like their home phone number. The problem with posting in a directory is solicitors calling and interfering with one's privacy.

I don't know about your specific cellphone application . But with my application, I only receive calls from individuals whom I have had past dealings with where I gave out my number. That way I'm not bothered throughout the day by solicitors.

Basically where talking about freedom to choice, of whether you want to make your private cellphone number available or not. Having a number automatically available for the whole world to see without one's permission, I feel is not freedom of choice.

paul2444

at 12:18 on February 9th, 2008

I agree with watermon people need privacy, it is bad enough getting spammed by e-mail but when it starts happening with cellphone users it could start to get really annoying. You can just imagine sitting on a bus or train with cell phones constantly ringing, with callcenters trying to sell there products.

http://cellphones-now.com