A 10-Digit Key Code to Your Private Life: Your Cellphone Number [telecom]

I find it hard to believe that numbers that come and go as you buy and toss burner phones, or take out and let lapse MVNO activations, can be deemed such a valuable "link to private info ..." :-) .

Cheers, -- tlvp

It is valuable info.

Many businesses today key their customer code by telephone number, and with many people having only a cell phone (or rarely using their existing landline), the cell phone number is the one that is given out.

Businesses routinely share customer basic data, such as name, address, and telephone number.

Modern cell phones are now used for far more than mere voice calls. We all know that modern electronic devices are easily hacked and that malware is widespread. Even basic cell phones will quietly yield private information unless the user explicitly sets the phone not to do so.

Sadly, with the recent election built on a deregulation platform, I see personal privacy further eroding and corporations free to monitor whatever they want. I also expect little enforcement against malware efforts.

Recall years ago Proctor & Gamble, angry at newspaper reports, demanded that Cincinnati Bell provide them home records of P&G employees to search out leakers. This was a gross invasion of privacy. I dare say today that would be seen as a legitimate business security effort.