Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

ENUM Protocol in Australia?

Posted by Hemos on from the using-it-down-under dept.

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. "

7 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. One thing we can agree on... by 403Forbidden · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think we can ALL agree that any form of "wonder number" is a bad thing.

    Any number/ID that ties YOU into everything that you ever sign up for and every communication device you own is never a good thing. Some things you just want to keep private.

    I can see where this would be good in a business world, where instead of saying "my fax is: ###-####, my phone is ###-#### my email is..." etc. they can just give out one number.

  2. Tel$tra Problem by CountZero007 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think it'd be okay if it was an opt-in decision (like unlisted numbers).

    Assuming Telstra doesn't mess it up (like they did this year, printing some unlisted numbers in the phone book).

    I'm sure it'll just become another "feature" they try and charge people for.

    --
    -- Shaun "Blessed are the geeks, for they shall Internet the earth"
  3. Re:Changing numbers... by shird · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I'm pretty sure theres a cost involved with doing that. Also, a phone number is a lot more personal and long term than an e-mail address. The reason people change numbers when they move is because they want to keep that number, as it is closely associated with them. You can always just ignore a certain e-mail address by just not checking it. Its a lot more difficult to ignore your phone ringing off the hook.

    --
    I.O.U One Sig.
  4. Re:The threat of spam.. by Gerry+Gleason · · Score: 3, Interesting
    It's getting very close to the time when I want to refuse all calls and email unless the other party has a token indicating that I have given permission. Well the tech details can be different, but how often do you get a call you want from someone that could easily be listed as a friend or something. Ok, so the cell phone provider might want to call to say I forgot to make the payment, or such, but that could be part of setting up the account. It should be non-transferable too, so they can't even give it to their own telemarketers.

    Reguardless of whether there is a system like this one in place, the spammers (phone and email) will be able to get your info if they want, we just need to invent the technological means of denying their ability to use it.

    Also, the ENUM thing is stupid. For those I want to deal with, the single ID I want is my name, not some randomly assigned number.

  5. If I were forced.... by Technician · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I would simply stop checking my regular e-mail. I would have a personel website. To contact me, you would have to visit the website and fill out the online form. This would be used to stop clutter from any mass mailing. Those wishing a personal contact would have to do a personal vist to the site. My home phone would get an automated voicemail system. I would not be in easy reach of the mass marketers.

    --
    The truth shall set you free!
  6. why not a number? by keithmoore · · Score: 4, Interesting

    actually, numbers are great. they are terse, they work on any keyboard in the world (including telephone keyboards), and they are language-independent. and when you think about it, phone numbers really aren't much less mnemonic than the local-part of a typical big-ISP email address.
    of course, nobody's suggesting that we use numbers instead of email addresses or URLs, but addresses that consist of nothing but digits are in fact quite useful.

    and anyway, enum is only half of the picture - there's also a proposal for mapping URLs to other information from the rescap working group. The basic idea is that an identifier should not be inherently tied to one single kind of resource - given either a phone number or a URL (and the latter includes email addresses), you should be able to find out additional information about that resource if the owner of that number/URL wants to provide it. phone number to web page? easy.
    email address to phone number? sure, if I want to provide it. or maybe you have my voice # and want to send me email. again, no problem.

  7. Backwards by captaineo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The reverse of this would be even more useful to me - a mapping from DNS to phone number.

    That way I could give out my stable, unchanging domain name, instead of my phone number - which changes depending on where I am and who I'm buying phone service from.

    Maybe you could store a phone number in a special type of DNS record. Then you'd pay a small fee to a company that provides a toll-free number. People who want to get in touch with me call the toll-free number, type in the domain name, and the call connects. Computer-based phones or future stand-alone phones could let you type the DNS name instead of the phone number.