PERSPECTIVE Phony Identification
Caller ID lets us avoid those we deem annoyances. But how annoying is it when someone spoofs the system?
By Tom Keane | September 24, 2006
The number on my Caller ID reads 617-000-0000, and I pick it up, half-thinking it might be James Bond. A little disappointingly, the call is from the Suffolk County district attorney's office. Law enforcement types, apparently, can manipulate the telephone system to hide their real numbers. It makes sense. There are bad guys out there, and prosecutors don't necessarily want them phoning back.
Some months later, I get another call from the same number. I answer, visions of DA Dan Conley with a martini -- shaken not stirred -- on the other end. Instead, a recorded message starts up, and I hear a sonorous voice: "I know we can do better . . ." It's from gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrieli. Now I really am disappointed.
Since it was introduced about 20 years ago, Caller ID has evolved from an amusing gimmick ("Hello, Bill." "How did you know it was me?!") to a ubiquitous tell-all. At home, we use it to avoid telemarketers; at work, it lets us hide from annoying customers. Teenagers love the cellphone feature that creates a different ring depending on whether one is friend, foe, or, worst of all, Mom or Dad. Of course, it's possible to block one's identity on a call (press *67), but many of us have set up our phones to automatically reject anyone who does. Businesses have taken advantage of the technology as well. Call from home to activate your new credit card and there's no need to type in your card number. Phone for a late-night snack and the pizzeria already knows your name, address, and, one suspects, whether you tip well or not.
The telephone once allowed us to be nameless, then Caller ID seemed to change all that.