# Keep your privacy with a temporary cell phone number



## Carol (Feb 2, 2007)

"...a 'social phone number.'
This is a free number that is as disposable as a Hotmail address..."

Story on link:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/12/03/business/wireless04.php


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## bluemtn (Feb 5, 2007)

That's kind of a cool idea.  Never heard of it until now.


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## Carol (Feb 5, 2007)

I'm exploring a similar idea with my home phone number.  I can get what many folks call a "teen line" and that us in the business call "distinctive alerting".

It's a seperate phone number without a seperate phone line.  It's also a phone number that I can wipe out or change at a moment's notice without affecting my service


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## Andrew Green (Feb 5, 2007)

Something doesn't seem right, there are a limited number of phone numbers, unlike e-mail addresses.  I assume they are going to reassign them after you "throw them out"?  Which, after the number has gone through a few users who feel free to toss it around at will, seems like it would lead to getting a lot of messages meant for other people if you used one, or am I missing something?


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## Carol (Feb 5, 2007)

Andrew Green said:


> Something doesn't seem right, there are a limited number of phone numbers, unlike e-mail addresses. I assume they are going to reassign them after you "throw them out"? Which, after the number has gone through a few users who feel free to toss it around at will, seems like it would lead to getting a lot of messages meant for other people if you used one, or am I missing something?


 
That would depend on how quickly the number is recycled.  Most telephone carriers have a policy of keeping a number deactivated for a certain amount of time (say, 90 days) before putting it back in to the pool for re-use.

It is possible to get messages meant for other people...that has happened to me when I had an ordinary land line phone and the "previous owner" was a guy that defaulted on a bunch of loans.  :lol2:  That was fixed by assigning me a new number.


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## ArmorOfGod (Feb 5, 2007)

I did a post on something similar, which is www.privatephone.com
It is run by Netzero.  You go there and log in with your free user ID (you either make one or just use your Netzero ID if you have one), pick your area code, and they give you a phone number that people can call you on.
You check the messages on any phone or online, then you can "call the person back" by pressing "2" on the phone you are using.  It will come up on their caller ID as the PrivatePhone number.
I am using it on all of my fliers and business cards.

AoG

Edit: I just saw the privatephone.com link halfway through the article.  Very cool.


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## Rich Parsons (Feb 6, 2007)

Ok, so women and even men want to keep their cell phone private. 

I can respect that and think it is a good idea. (* Having had a stalker or two with multiple calls from time of drop off at the end of a first date to the time I got home. *)

Yet I have to ask, this leads to a social issue in my personal case.

If women think e-mails are impersonal, as you cannot hear the voice and to time consuming and to slow to share information. They want to guard their privacy, which is good. Yet many also do not want to call a male. So if I give out my cell phone number which allows them to hit *67 to make private when they call me. She could hear my voice, and also get the information she is looking for. 

So, while privacy and self protection are important, this might lead to a more breaking of more traditional values which means the female not only should want, but should call first to protect her privacy. 

While I agree the private number would be nice for many. I know I have gotten calls from people upward of two years on land lines after I had the number. And before one could keep their cell number I have gotten calls for others ranging from people looking for references or collections and even a very interesting message for a meeting in a text message. I replied back that this was a new number for me, and she had sent it to the wrong person. She flirted back in text. I replied it was a company phone and not to contact me any more please. She called me. Once she got my answer on the phone, she realized it was a company cell phone. She apologized, and asked me to delete the messages, as the number had belonged to an undercover officer, hence the flirting, figuring he had lost his phone and would get who ever had it to show up. 

I think the idea is good. I also think our social norms need to change mroe as well. But that is just my personal opinion.


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