Facebook invents Caller ID ... say Hello to today's staggering technology Facebook has released a smartphone app called Hello that matches the numbers of incoming calls to friends and businesses on the social network, and displays them on-screen, giving you a slightly better idea of who's calling if you can't recognize the digits. It's otherwise known as Caller ID, and the tech fashion press is …
Sadly, UK mobile companies have managed to get away with ignoring the requirement to provide that facility, so far - and the landline companies charge a premium for it, despite the nuisance-call-enabling facility being free. (Also, they only reject the call with a recorded message - they don't divert it to voicemail, and they still let "number unavailable" calls through.)
At some point soon, I'm going to programme my Asterisk setup to send all anonymous calls to voicemail. I only know one person who makes calls using that "feature", plus a great many persistent spammers and a few businesses; if more of us blocked anonymous calls, the latter would disappear and make the block even more useful.
Yep. It's called "Don't give Facebook your bloody phone number".
As long as you have given any of your friends your number, it only takes ONE of them to use WhatsApp and they already have your number. They have been using that gaping hole in Data Protection laws for years (they only have to ask you for your permission if they get your data off you, but not if they get it off your friends).
In addition, there have been plenty people lured into the "security question" scam that both Google and FaceBook have been running where they ask for your phone number to "better secure your account". Yeah, right.
My (Windows) phone does this *already*. Without Facebook. Not that I was that impressed with the feature seeing as all my phones going back to at least 2009 (Nokia 5800) have also had this feature.
Maybe Facebook could work on a "feature" so that if the person being called is busy, the person calling hears some sort of "busy tone" to let them know to try again later.
I think the idea is to pull up their Facebook page when someone calls. Not only does that assist telcos with burning through your data allowance quicker, it would also make sure that any last minute pictures get the airing they deserve.
It's quite an interesting idea, actually. Push some dodgy images into someone's feed just before a meeting and then spoof their number calling up their boss (not that hard with a VoIP setup). Maybe that's the reason why - setting up some entrapment scams for detractors?
I have used it on Symbian and now Android and it seems to work "OK".
What really helps is everytime I get a "missed call" , "hangup" or unknown number I add it to a special contact "SCAM CALLER". A very popular fellow. But the trucaller app has a "block" button. My tip for everyone, if you get an unsolicited call stay silent. The robocallers are listening for live numbers.
My DSL line has a FAX on it.
P.
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