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AT T has started tagging telemarketer calls, so that if you have AT T and receive a telemarketing call, you will instantly know that is what it is. Concurrently, AT T and Comcast have announced a new Caller ID technology partnership which they are calling an “anti-robocalling milestone”, and in which calls that are authenticated and verified will show that the caller is verified.
As we wrote about at the beginning of July, Paypal had rolled out a new user agreement, or Terms of Service (TOS) that included your agreeing to their robocalling or autodialing you, not just for account updates and fraud alerts, but for marketing as well. Now they have backed off from that.
You know those annoying automated calls that result in a robotic voice saying “Please hold for an important message”? Well, new legislation, if passed, would allow them to your cell phone! A concerted effort by several legislators and large businesses has resulted in Federal bill HR3035, which would allow businesses to initiate automated calls (so called “robo calls”) to cell phones whose owners have ‘given permission’ for the robocalls. “Permission” for robodialing is defined as providing your cell number to the business at any time (even years ago), and in just about any context – just having provided your cell number at any time past or present is enough, you don’t have to say “and please robo dial me.” It’s kind of the “they asked for it” theory of automated dialing phone spam. (Note: This article includes links to make it very easy for you to write to your representative to register your displeasure with this assault on your privacy.)