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Burner's virtual phone lines add automatic robocall blocking
When it debuted in 2012, Burner's virtual phone number app promised to help privacy-minded folks shield their private digits with temporary phone numbers while adding a few useful cloud-based integrations at the same time. Today, Burner announced a new integration with Nomorobo -- the winner of the FTC's Robocall Challenge -- to eliminate another major phone-related headache: Rachel from Card Services.
FTC offers $50,000 prize for stopping illegal robocalls, we could have used this a few months ago
Robocalling is considered a plague in the modern phone world, especially during an election year -- and while you likely won't get rid of all the pitches from political candidates anytime soon, most of the commercial calls are outright illegal. The Federal Trade Commission has devised a unique contest to help cut back on those law-breakers without having to chase down every shady debt relief offer. It's offering a $50,000 reward for the cleverest solution to blocking the banned variety of robocalls. The only requirement is that you be an adult US resident: if you can invent a surefire remedy in your basement, the FTC wants to hear from you. Entries will be open between October 25th and January 17th, with word of a winner around April 1st. We're hoping that the champion has a truly effective cure in use before long, because we'll undoubtedly have reached our breaking point on robocalls by... oh, around November 6th. [Image credit: SarahNW, Flickr]
TrueCall shall fight telemarketers on the beaches, landing grounds, etc
Telemarketers-turned-inventors from the United Kingdom have started shipping TrueCall (£99.99), a device that acts as an automated secretary on your land line, either forwarding trusted numbers to your phone or answering untrusted numbers with an automated message and shooing them away. When an unrecognized number dials in, TrueCall asks them who they are and then rings you asking whether or not you want to take it. Sure, it's not the most fun way to automatically ditch unscrupulous callers, but we'd like to listen in on the conversation when a robocall reaches this baby -- it'd be like one wall talking to another wall.[Via Slashdot]
FCC ponders allowing debt collectors to auto-dial mobiles
There was quite a bit of rejoicing at the FCC's decision in 2003 to limit telemarketers and debt collectors in their auto-dialing methods of contacting mobile users. Now there's a chance that decision could be reversed, at least for debt collectors who are currently petitioning the FCC through their trade association ACA International. Debt collectors are arguing that they were unfairly lumped in with telemarketers in the auto-dialing ban, since all of their numbers are collected through legitimate means. The National Consumer Law Center argues that it's unfair to mobile users to have to pay for peak usage minutes to receive calls from debt collectors, and that giving an agency your mobile number doesn't necessarily mean you wish to be contacted. The FCC has agreed to review ACA International's request, and is currently seeking public comments on the subject. We're thinking about going dark for a bit, after which we'll reemerge from Switzerland with a new face, a new SSN and, of course, a new mobile phone number.[Via textually.org]
