I've got your number on the bathroom wall

[venta]

I'm surprised there hasn't been more fuss over this. Maybe I've just missed it.

There are (though not nearly as many as I'd expect) reports online that a company is setting up a Directory Enquiries equivalent for mobile numbers. So (in theory) you call them, and for £1 they'll connect you to (rather than give you the number for)[**] anyone you ask them for.

The provenance of the numbers they're using is a little dicey - "generally [they are] from companies who collect mobile telephone numbers from customers in the course of doing business and have been given permission by the customers to share those numbers". In theory, if you always check[*] that box this won't affect you at all.

It's possible to make yourself ex-directory by texting 'E' to 118800, though early and "unscientific" testing from The Register suggests that the directory is far from exhaustive.

You can read about the directory from the horse's mouth here.

Update: You can check here if you're in the directory. A prize to the first person who can actually find themselves (or indeed anyone they know) in it...

[*] or do I mean uncheck ? I can't remember offhand whether it's opt-in or opt-out.
[**] That's what reports say. The horse's mouth says that they'll sms the person you're trying to contact with your details.

Comments

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

They don't connect you, from what I've read; it's an SMS or a call from the company themselves.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

If the mode of contact is indeed SMS with the details of the person trying to contact you, I'm actually perfectly happy about this. It costs £1 for each contact, which should mitigate against a) people doing it without a very good reason and b) people doing it en masse or repeatedly. Meanwhile, I can ignore anyone I don't want to contact me, but I will know if genuine friends or family members are trying to get hold of me. I'm not going to rush to ensure that I am in their directory, but I don't think I'll remove myself from it if it turns out I'm there, either.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

"Please help by giving us some more information
so that we can narrow it down to the person you're
trying to contact."

Ahaha. I don't think I will give you chaps my address, actually.

[venta.livejournal.com]

That in itself is interesting - it didn't say that when I put in my own name. I got:

"Sorry ...but we haven't yet been able to identify the person you're looking for.

Please either re-enter the details or provide us with more information on the detailed search page. "

(I like the idea that re-entering the details will help.)

So I guess they have at least one person of your name, but none of mine.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Well, it might if you typed them wrong the first time. ;-)

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes, I assume that's what they meant. It would make more sense to say "Please check the details you entered are correct" rather than suggesting that the database might have been updated in the last 15 seconds!

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

Customer relations: implying that your customer is a dribbling loon who cannot type straight is not encouraged. Much better to suggest they merely have another go in case Magic has happened...

[venta.livejournal.com]

Customer relations with geeks: implying your customer believes in Magic is not encouraged. Much better to suggest a typing error...

:)

I'm sure you're right, though.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

I suspect the target market for this service is not geeks, hence belief in Magic creeping towards acceptable. :)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Much better to suggest a typing error

Maybe their best option is to insert "[PEBCAK?]" below the other suggestions. The non-geeks will just ignore it!

[venta.livejournal.com]

I didn't know the acronym, so had to look it up. Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebkac) says (among other things):

"The phrase is used by computer experts as a humorous[2] way to describe user errors."

I love the fact they've included a citation to demonstrate that it is, indeed, humorous :)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia: perfect bibliography if and only if it's absolutely not necessary.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Well, I searched for myself on Web of Science last night (somebody had achieved a number on some metric of how good you are at getting research published and I realised it was something I might want to know about myself if people use it to decide who to hire) and found that I am very active in the fields of philosophy and cancer research, but not so much in electron microscopy :/

[keris.livejournal.com]

To get my papers on web of science takes a lot of effort in splitting me out from all the other people with my name. It would have helped if certain people had shown me drafts of papers before publishing so I could make sure my middle initial was included; without it, even adding university and dates gives several people... I ended up calculating my h-index myself as I needed to give it on the REF forms!

As for the phone thing, it has me - name, city and house number (but not road or postcode) ties it down.

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

I really must poke the coworker who keeps taking to conferences my data with my name on it and not telling me. It would be doing me a favour if he (a) could write sentences that made sense, (b) actually told me so I could add these things to my publication list.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

I tried putting in my old address (which is just as likely to appear on sold databases as my current one) and there's nothing. So I'm probably not in it.

[nalsa.livejournal.com]

Mmm. I agree with feanelwa; this may not be phishing, but it does have a phishy whiff to it.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I saw someone mentioning it recently. I don't seem to be in it l-)

[ulfilias.livejournal.com]

I Seem to be in !

Search for my name in huntingdon with ermine street and it seems to come up....However i'm not wasting a pound !

[venta.livejournal.com]

Interesting, I couldn't persuade it to do anything but compain that I hadn't filled in the postcode! It certainly thinks there's someone of your name in Huntingdon, though.

However i'm not wasting a pound !

I presume that if you don't know your mobile number, there are cheaper ways of finding out :)

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

They think they've found me!

[ringbark.livejournal.com]

They also think they've found me. Mind you, I'm not going to gfive them a hundred shiny pennies just to find out if it's true. Besides, I already know my own number.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

It seems to find me, though at an old address (which was where I was living when I bought my last mobile). I can't be certain though as I'm not going to give them my actual name and number in order to find out.

[octalbunny.livejournal.com]

Is there a charge for the opting-out SMS? (Edit: just the standard-rate network charge apparently)

I'm taking the attitude that they'll go under anyway, no need for us to muck about with them. According to their DPA registration, they're only holding data on "Customers and clients; Relatives, guardians and associates of the data subject". (DPA reg if El Reg's commentators have the right company.)