Cell Phone Directory Rings True

Computerworld - I'm going to sign up our family cell phone for the new wireless phone directory, and I'll wager we won't receive a single unwanted call. Why not? Because the directory is now slated to have all the privacy controls I can imagine. You couldn't tell this by all the media coverage, however, which has been unanimously against the directory idea for the past three months.

What's the lesson for IT project managers? If your project will use customer data, get your privacy officer involved early to avoid the kind of media firestorm the wireless directory has encountered.

I read the first headline in mid-May: "Mobile number directory causing a stir." Six companies in the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) were said to be pooling their millions of customer names and cell phone numbers into a common directory by year's end.

I had visions of telemarketers interrupting people during meetings, in their cars and on the beach, burning right through their calling-plan minutes. What a quick way to lose customers, I thought.

So what's changed my mind about the directory? Why do I think it's not the end of privacy?

If you read the press stories closely, you'll find, like I did, that the cell phone directory will include all the privacy controls that consumer advocates have demanded.

First, only 411 operators will be using the directory. It won't be published as a book, posted on the Internet or sold outside the CTIA. This means it won't be feasible for telemarketers to obtain lists of cell phone numbers. That's worth repeating: Telemarketers won't be using the new directory to call you.

Second, participation in the directory will be on an opt-in basis for current customers. Users won't have to pay a dime or do a thing to have their numbers unlisted. This should be music to the ears of the 163 million Americans who now own a cell phone.

Once the directory is in place, new wireless customers will be told when they sign up that their numbers will be included in the directory unless they opt out.

Third, Americans who are still worried about receiving unwanted solicitations on their mobile phones can enter their numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry. Violators are subject to an $11,000 fine per call. That's a hefty incentive for a telemarketer to avoid your cell phone if you've listed it in the registry.

So I'm just not worried about our cell phone number finding its way into the wrong hands. And having our number listed with 411 will be helpful for those needing to contact us in an emergency .