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National Do Not Call List Opens for Registrations
prockcore writes "The National Do Not Call Registry is up and running. Sign up so most telemarketers cannot call you starting October 1st. There are exemptions though, like for charities and political organizations." Note that many of the states which have opened their own registries will be sharing that data with the national list, so you may not have to re-register - check and see what your state is doing.
The site has been heavy hit all day ... even before the coming slashdotting!
KARMA TAG! You're it.
They have three months to put all new entries into their systems. No matter when you sign up there's a three month window until it takes effect...
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You can't register here, but much more info at: http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall/
Why don't you read the site before saying anything:
All consumers whose numbers are on the registry by August 31, 2003 will notice a downturn in telemarketing calls starting October 1, 2003. Consumers who register after September 1, 2003 will notice a drop in telemarketing calls within three months of the date they register.
I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.
-Xenocrates
you can also call 888.382.1222, east of the Mississippi can call the same number after 7/7/03. Don't forget to ask if they want to switch to AT&T.
You should check out Spam Gourmet instead of creating whole yahoo or hotmail accounts. It has worked really well for me.
"Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
You can register by phone as well, without giving out an email address. Info on how to register by phone is here.
No. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most, but not all, telemarketing calls. Some businesses are exempt from the national registry and still can call you even if you place your number on it. Exempt businesses include:
* long-distance phone companies
* airlines
* banks and credit unions; and
* the business of insurance, to the extent that it is regulated by state law.
Uhm...yea the exempt list manages to get exempt just about 80% of all my telemarketing calls. woohoo! Not to mention the local paper (Times Dispatch) that calls every week, but manages to also tie in your subscription to a charity. I guess I'll go get a fake email addy and sign up anyway.
He hates his job, but it pays him... They get around the do not call list because they're not "technically" telemarketing. They give away something for free. Free demonstrations. ;-) All that they do over the phone is try and get people to accept a free demonstration of some product. The sales people who go do the demo are the ones trying to sell stuff. I wonder if many other companies will be using techniques like this now?
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For all of you complaining that they require a valid email address - If you're that concerned, you can just wait until July 7th when you can register by phone, rather than using the 'net...
;-)
Of course.. you'll have to speak to an actual human being.. but hey, you can't win 'em all
http://www.babysmasher.com
http://www.openingbands.com
Nah, it's billg@microsoft.com - you might even get a form letter if you're lucky.
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According to radio news the site this morning (before Slashdot) was registering 108 people per second, not a bad rate.
anything@example.com is fine, and garuneteed not to be in use (example.com, example.org, example.net etc. are all reserved for, well, use in examples).
Someone above quoted the FAQ that lists the exempt industries. (He also left off the second part: "You may still receive calls from political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors or companies with which you have an existing business relationship.")
I think it sucks too, but there's a reason for it: The Federal Trade commission is the one creating this list, and only those industries regulated by them are controllable by this list. For instance, phone companies are regulated by the FCC.
*&$% Congress should have plugged this hole by unifying a do-not-call across the various regulatory agencies.
You can bet that congressional campaigns were probably specifically exempted by the bill, though.
Design for Use, not Construction!
So, unless you call up Bill and have him forward it to you, that strategy wouldn't work anyhow.
On the other hand, I'm still waiting for my confirmation e-mail, so I don't know for sure exactly how this is working, it all came from their instructions.
I personally do not care that they have my email address. To not be interrupted four times while sitting at my table for dinner is priceless. Besides - what makes you guys think that the government has no clue what your email address is??
Their Privacy Policy states: "If you contact us via the Internet, we also collect your email address to confirm your registration request. We will store your email address in a secure manner, separate from your telephone number. We will not share your email address with telemarketers." That's good enough for me.
Ayup
Exemptions:
- Charities
- Companies you have "done business with" (ie you bought something from them)
- Long Distance companies
- Insurance companies
- Banks (including credit card companies)
- Airlines
- Political fundraisers
- Overseas telemarketers
It's all Right here. In my opinion it's hardly worth registering. "Professional" telemarketing companies could become phone number resellers. Professional telemarketers would get the list from the do not call registry, then sell the list to private companies' in-house telemarketers. Since it's legal for most private companies to call you still, and they now have a list with your correct phone number, your calls may increase, not decrease.
The Right Reverend K. Reid Wightman,
The equivalent in the UK is the telephone preference service.
You can sign up here. Use links from this page to set yourself up on the mailing preference service (door spam) the faxing preference service (fax spam) and email preference service (spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam).
All things in moderation; including moderation
I snagged a copy and emailed it on before it got posted to Slashdot:
.htm.
Tell Me More About the National Do Not Call Registry
Q: Why would I register my phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry?
A: The National Do Not Call Registry gives you an opportunity to limit the telemarketing calls you receive. On October 1, 2003, when the National Do Not Call Registry will be enforced, most telemarketers will be required to remove the numbers on the registry from their call lists.
Q: Who manages the National Do Not Call Registry?
A: The National Do Not Call Registry is managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency.
Q: Why was the National Do Not Call Registry created?
A: The registry was created to offer consumers a choice regarding telemarketing calls. The FTC's decision to create the National Do Not Call Registry was the culmination of a comprehensive, three year review of the Telemarketing Sales Rule, as well as the Commission's extensive experience enforcing the Rule over seven years. The FTC held numerous workshops, meetings and briefings to solicit feedback from interested parties and considered over 64,000 public comments, most of which favored creating the registry. You can review the entire record of the Rule review at www.ftc.gov/bcp/rulemaking/tsr/tsrrulemaking/index
How Does Registration Work?
Q: How soon after I register will I notice a reduction in calls?
A: If you register by August 31, 2003, you will start receiving fewer telemarketing calls by October 1, 2003. If you register after September 1, 2003, telemarketers covered by the National Do Not Call Registry will have up to three months from the date you register to stop calling you.
Q: I've already registered on my state's do not call list. Do I need to register on the National Do Not Call Registry?
A: The answer depends on where you live. Most of the 26 states will that currently have active do not call lists will transfer numbers from their lists to the National Do Not Call Registry. A few will not. You can find out which states are transferring their do not call lists to the National Do Not Call Registry at www.ftc.gov/donotcall. If you live in a state that is transferring its do not call list to the national registry, you do not need to re-register. On the other hand, if you live in a state that has its own do not call list, but the state is not transferring numbers to the National Registry, then you need to register your own number on the National Registry. If you are uncertain whether you are on a state do not call list and wish to limit your telemarketing contacts, you can register with the National Do Not Call Registry.
Q: When I register my phone number, how long until it shows up on the National Do Not Call Registry?
A: After you register, your phone number will be available for telemarketers to remove it from their call lists by the next day. Telemarketers will have up to three months to get your phone number and remove it from their call lists.
Q: How long does it take after I delete my phone number for it to be deleted from the National Do Not Call Registry?
A: After you delete your phone number, it will be removed from the National Do Not Call Registry by the next day. But telemarketers have up to three months to access information about your deletion and add your number back to their call lists, if they choose to.
Q: If I registered by phone, will I receive a confirmation?
A: No, but you can verify that your number is on the registry online or by calling the registry's toll-free number, 1-888-382-1222; for TTY, call 1-866-290-4236.
Q: I received a phone call from someone offering to put my name on the National Do Not Call Registry. Should I let them?
A: No. The FTC will not allow private companies or other such third parties to "pre-register" consumers for the National Do Not Call Registry. Web sites
If you are in CT (as I am), the state says they'll be merging their registry into the federal one automatically. You don't need to re-register.
"If you live in a state west of the Mississippi River (including Minnesota or Louisiana), you can call toll-free, 1-888-382-1222 (TTY 1-866-290-4236), from the number you wish to register." -- From the FTC's web site
It's working. My confirmation email took quite a while to arrive.
Theoretically, one could write a script that:
foreach $phonenumber (range of numbers)
create email alias for $phone number
sign up $phonenumber with donotcall.gov
reply to confirmation email via HTTP
end
then fire it off for your favorite range of
phone numbers (your local prefix, a random
prefix). You could vary the timings, maybe
add calls to reverse white pages to get the
names right...randomize where you
sign up the email addresses, etc.
Note that I'm just pointing out what is
*theoretically* possible...not advocating
that anyone actualy commit fraud to reduce
junk calls.
---eludom
I would recommend that anyone in Indiana just keep their number on the state's registry. Not only is that the recommendation of AG Steve Carter, but also of everyone I've talked to that is familiar with the federal legislation.
A state lawmaker friend of mine has told me that while Indiana's registry exempts only charities, newspapers, insurance agents, and realtors (and even he is suspicious about the last three - strong lobby?), the federal list exempts many groups, including long-distance phone companies, airlines, and insurance agencies.
In other words, the FTC did what it does best, appear to help consumers while pandering to corporate pressure.
Thank you! I hadn't heard of this particular one previously. I've been creating domains in dhs.org or dyndns.org, and then creating aliases on my mail server. This lets me disconnect mail addresses (and domains should it need to get drastic), but I generally like the Spam Gourmet concept better, and it doesn't require any mail server setup.
I guess the only comment I have is to use watch words, so some spammer doesn't register "haha.99.you@spamgourmet.com" or whatever. Sure, you can manually delete it, but they could keep creating new ones. Having a watchword (or prefix) that you change every once in a while solves this.
Good stuff. Thanks!
This post is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
It's a little more complex than that. What I found curious is that in the FAQ, even though a company may be exempt (like a long distance company), they cannot contract out the work. So if AT&T is calling you direct it's a-ok, but if they outsource it to Joe's Sweat Shop Call Center that can be dinged for the fine.
From my experience working for a satanic market research firm, almost no-one does their own calling. Looks like it has the potential to wipe out quite a few calls and force telemarketing to be more expensive to the exempt companies. These are both good things.
Okay, Mr. Paranoid, here's a data point then: I am on a state no call list, and have been for 5 or 6 years now. I get called 3 or 4 times a year by two charities who pick up donations curbside because I have told them "You can call me next time you have a truck in the neighborhood." I get maybe one charity cold-call per year, and they don't call back when I tell them I'm not interested. Charities don't get a high-enough success rate on cold-calling to make it pay, so they just don't do it much. I get probably one survey call per month, or less. My wife gets several automated phone messages from politicians in the 3 or 4 days before each election, so a couple calls per night for about one week worth out of 104. I'm registered Green, so I don't get political party phone calls.
Bottom Line: IT WORKS and it is cheaper than commercial solutions. You're not giving them any information they don't already have. There is no downside.
Don't moderate flamebait as Troll. Know the difference or you will be Meta-moderated.
Bush was on the radio saying over 100 people per second are registering.
Well I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years doctor, and I'm happy to say I finally won out over it.
You'd be scared shitless if you truely knew just how much information the government has/can get on you. Tieing your phone number(s) to an email address is nothing.
/.), I got this from many reputable news sources. I'd post exactly which ones, but I don't have the list handy. Email me if you really want the list.
Here is a great example: we have NO idea what the NSA does because there are no checks or balances in place for them. Through some nifty loopholes, the group was founded with almost complete autonomy and no oversight. The only real tie they have is through funding, and even that is classified! Some estimates by people in the know say that half of the world's computing power is actually in the direct control of the NSA. They have the ability to record and analize EVERY phone conversation in the world in real time and are rumored to be able to break PGP (hence why they stopped blocking it from being legally exported).
Now, after knowing the power that they have, do you really think that you linking an email address to a phone number is really something to worry about?
P.S. I am not a lunitic (I just play on on
Space for rent, inquire within
This time it wasn't just /. it was also the AP.
So yes, the registry is massively hosed right now.
They are supposed to send out a pair of emails "within a few minutes" to be used to confirm the registration, but I haven't seen any.
This is why they should have had an "opt-in" registry instead. The user volume would have been 30 per day instead of 30 million.
Man, I love TMDA. I'll just generate an expiring address. The one that I'm giving them will only work for 7 days.
Key to financial independence: Spend less than you earn. Save and invest the difference. Do it for a long time.
I use spamgourmet. http://www.spamgourmet.com
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