Why are so many NYtimes posted on this site?
Let’s Destroy Robocalls
101–110 of 286 posts
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#102Why are so many NYtimes articles posted on hacker news?
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a really tough time comprehending why it is such a difficult problem to solve. The FCC could have solved it by now, independently of congressional legislation, considering the fact that they regulate the issuance of phone numbers. Those overseas companies still have to get their US phone numbers from an FCC regulated body. What am I missing?
What you are missing is, the people abusing the phone number are typically not the owners. For example you can get a phone number from Twilio for $1/mo, and spam people from it. Just like you can upload a copyrighted song to YouTube, or download an MP3 from your ISP-provided internet. Owning the "platform" puts some responsibility on you, but it's not expected that you can stop ALL bad activity in its tracks. What ca…
You punish the accountable parties appropriately.
When Twilio gets a $100k fine for abuse of the $1/mo number, they'll govern the behavior of their customer better and probably eliminate 80% of the bad actors in hours. You could also modify the regulation of interstate carriers to make it expensive to spam entire exchanges with junk calls, or even require licensing to utilize the PSTN. (Which allows you to punish licensees for bad behavior.)
These are all solvable problems, big companies respond quickly to sticks and over time to carrots.
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why I can't get this is beyond me. The first setting in my default Android phone app is to block unknown callers. What specifically do you want?
That's a blacklist, "Don't accept calls from X". A white list would be "only accept calls from Y". That's what GP seems to be asking for.
Block unknown callers is a whitelist though. It's literally "block everyone not in my contact list".
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#105So robocalls are the result of: - Cost of phone calls decreasing to basically zero - Cost of automation going to basically zero - Phone calls that can come from the Internet so there are no national boundaries anymore - Caller ID operating on essentially the honor system - Bad actors (telephone companies) benefitting from this traffic by charging for it - Larger players having no incentive to punish bad actors There'…
A smart phone app which behaves as a firewall requiring callers to enter, say, a three character PIN code before phone rings may be useful. Incorporate two message files, one for leaving messages from those who know the PIN code and one those who don't, would allow for any contingencies. A front end answering machine box for the home with the same functionalities may be useful as well.
So shift the burden of calling to literally everyone who is acting well? Why would I want to remember a unique PIN for everyone I know?
Also, isn't that just taking the 9 digit phone number and turning it into a 12 digit?
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#106So robocalls are the result of: - Cost of phone calls decreasing to basically zero - Cost of automation going to basically zero - Phone calls that can come from the Internet so there are no national boundaries anymore - Caller ID operating on essentially the honor system - Bad actors (telephone companies) benefitting from this traffic by charging for it - Larger players having no incentive to punish bad actors There'…
> For whitelist systems to work you need to be able to enforce identity or have a significant cost to sending messages.
s/whitelist/blacklist ?
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#107[deleted]
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#108Lots of feel good ideas in the post, but no actual good ideas. Back when Congress created the Do Not Call Registry, and then forced law abiding companies to pay $10,000 for it, they pretty much just compiled an amazing list of active phone numbers that non-law abiding companies could acquire for a pretty good price and then sell them in batches to smaller companies that couldn't afford the full thing. Once virtual ph…
That's bullshit. Telcos can stop it on a dime but they don't because they profit from it. We just need regulation with teeth. Your attitude that only "innovation" can save us and we should get rid of regulators is what led us to where we are now.
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#109I'm about as confident something will come of this bill as I am that my house will one day get up and fly away into the sunset.
Any bill passed is going to be under the purview of the FCC to enforce if signed into law. Yes, the same FCC that allows telecoms to continually run roughshod over consumers contrary to anti-trust laws that have been on the books for ages. Unless this becomes a problem for the companies that provide phone service, which it apparently isn't due to the fact that it is still rampant, nothing will be done other than public finger wagging.
Re: Let’s Destroy Robocalls
#110So robocalls are the result of: - Cost of phone calls decreasing to basically zero - Cost of automation going to basically zero - Phone calls that can come from the Internet so there are no national boundaries anymore - Caller ID operating on essentially the honor system - Bad actors (telephone companies) benefitting from this traffic by charging for it - Larger players having no incentive to punish bad actors There'…
It never made much sense to me that the providers would not offer some kind of robocall-free plan. I would instantly switch to avoid getting any more of these spoofed calls, which would block the vast majority of robocalls. It turns out that it is government regulation somehow preventing this: > "The FCC last year authorized voice service providers to block more types of calls in which the Caller ID has been spoofed…
FYI, in France, the ISP called "Free" provides an option to block marketing calls in their box but many still go through
http://portail.free.fr/m/l-aktu-free/astuces/6159173_2015100...