ENUM Protocol in Australia?

Master Kai writes "Looks like Australia's thinking about implementing ENUM, an internet protocol that will convert a simple phone number into a URI. The benefits are obvious, use one number to contact you on any communications medium. Your website, fixed phone, fax, mobile (cell) and email address. But at what cost to our privacy? I know that personally I prefer to give out my email address, because I can change it at the click of a button. And what about spam? Not only would spamers have your email address, but your contact numbers too. Eeeep! Anyway. It looks good nonetheless. Check out the news article , and for the Australian Communications Authority Discussion Paper. "

Comments

The threat of spam..

[Breakfast Pants]

The threat of spam will keep this from ever becoming a reality. However this will probaly not increase telemarketing "spam" too much because there is already a public listing where they can get your number, its called a phonebook. The reason email spam will be a problem with this is simply because email is practically no cost to spammers.

Re:The threat of spam..

[FFFish]

Oooh, the token idea rocks! Especially if one can have unlimited tokens. 'cause then one can assign an individual token to each friend, a set of tokens to various types of acquaintances, and one-off tokens to the gimboits that you just know will end up either using it to spam you or to sell to some marketer.

One can then define acceptance parameters for the tokens. And will be able to trace just who the sonuffabitch is that leaked their token to a spam agency.

"Token #275 is being used for spam? Dammit, Mom, I told you to never give that number out to strangers! I'm gonna revoke it. Here's your new token... and if you leak it, I'll revoke it and not give ya a new one!"

I don't like it

[Anonymous Coward]

A little inconvenience to try and maintain my privacy is a small price to pay.

I'd rather not be spammed on every device I own.

Fears of it being a single ID number are pointless anyway. We already have that.

We defaeated the "Australia Card" by referendum, but the government of the day (Labour I believe) snuck in the Tax File Number, which is in effect the exact same thing. ;)

We've all got a bar code already.

Alston's and Telstra's Ineptitude

[ynotds]

At it's heart this is a product of the Telstra cultural malignancy whereby they actually believe that eight plus digit numbers define the pinnacle of usability.

I really should write a book on the sad quarter century of Telstra struggling and failing to turn online information into an income stream without ever coming to terms with the fundamental dynamics of the information age, so I shouldn't try to squeeze too many details into a SlashDot post before I run the facts past a libel lawyer.

As Australia's public telecomms carrier, Telstra's world view continues to blinker policy debate, even more so since our reactionary federal governement installed the even more reactionary Senator Richard Alston on top of the information and communications policy bureacracy, basically as an offshoot of his dabblings with the arts.

How amusing that Telstra has been thrown a lifeline by the rise of mobile (cellular) phone usage. They still don't have a clue that the biggest plus for mobile phones is that they enable you to stop addressing people by their numbers.

But it's still far and away the best place to live, even if the numbers don't always add up.

why a number?

[RussRoss]

If I wanted to pick a single identifier (which, like many others who have commented, I don't), I wouldn't want it to be a 10 digit number. Maybe I should start giving out my IP address instead of my named web site address, too. You don't see people rushing out to register domain names like 2139812309.com because they suck compared to even a ridiculous name like slashdot.org. I thought we were past using meaningless numbers for electronic addresses. Am I the only one who thinks they are doing this backwards? - Russ

Re:Hey Baby can I get your website?

[drdink]

See here.

Australia

[vlad_petric]

While I agree with you that this won't work in the US, let's not forget that Australia has a pretty strong anti-spamming legislation. I hope that ENUM works well-enough to prove the efficiency of antispamming regulations.

The Raven

Useless!

[clockwise_music]

Sounds like a kinda-good idea in theory, but as I live in Australia I think it's just not neccesary. I already have lots of contact details:

1. hotmail email
2. work email
3. work email 2
4. mobile
5. home number
6. work number

Naturally I give these out to different people for different contexts. There is no way I'd want everyone to know all of them!

My question is, What problem are they trying to solve?

Re:The threat of spam.

[Tuqui]

In Japan all the mobiles had a mail address based in the telephone number, like :

0901234678@telcom.ne.jp

But they had change it because the indiscriminate mail spam. You only need to send the spam from

09000000001 to 0909999999999 @telecom.ne.jp

and everybody gets your spam!.