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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.
I'm not particularly pleased that the US government now has a growing database tying email addresses to phone numbers.
(for those that didn't bother to read it, they require a valid email address to register your phone number online)
I guess I'll be creating a throw-away yahoo or hotmail address for this...
-S
--- What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
already slashdooted and no posts, i love the gov'
Wow, slashdotted before the article was even posted to non-subscribers...
I think this is a new record: Slashdotted in negative 37 seconds
But seriously, I like screwing with telemarketers heads too much to put my number on this list anyway.
I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.
-Xenocrates
The site has been heavy hit all day ... even before the coming slashdotting!
KARMA TAG! You're it.
All I can say is Thank God! More than a simple annoyance in our home lives, the telemarketing industry is a severe drain on the resources of this country. Much like the bureaucracies of Europe (not to mention Canada) which are so widely criticized, the US telemarking industry provides a means of artificial employment for innumerable workers in this country, with people attempting to sell unwanted products in vain, going from job to job as telemarketing franchises are born and die, contributing nothing to the actual economic output of the country. Goodbye telemarketing, and good riddance...
But, signing up now seems a bit absurd. It would be like giving the telemarketters three months time to use my number until then. I think that I might just wait until, oh say, October 1st.
and the Irishman took the fly in his hands and yelled, "spit it out!"
Is there a national call list? I am lonely and would like to get more phone calls please.
this doesn't affect market researchers calling you. Don't get me wrong i'm not complaining, but it would be great if we could somehow get them under the umbrella.
You can't register here, but much more info at: http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall/
Here's my next question, where the hell is my http://donotemail.gov ???
Scum of the earth, scum of the earth.
Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
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.
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
Simply sign up for an AOL account. Or put a valid phone number in your Yahoo E-mail Account. Or you could even go so far as to fill out all of those "Enter to win a car" contests at the local Mall.
I can't wait to see companies buying time on charity organization's phone calls. Imagine this:
1) Company makes donation to charity
2) Charity promises to advertise company during charity's fund raising calls
3) Company claims donation on their taxes
4) ????
5) Profit!!! (or in the case of the charity: Non-Profit!!!!!)
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
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.
My concern regarding this list is how it may be used by the exempt entities. All of these political and non-profit organizations are free to interrupt my dinnertime at will. What's to keep them from harvesting this uber-list to augment their dialing pool? I may just wind up with more telemarketing calls after I jump on this registry than I ever did before. Granted they'll be "for a good cause" but I prefer to choose my own causes, thank you very much!
I have had several ladies tell me that I was on their don't call list. How can one get this entry cleared?
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. - Mark Twain
...the telemarketers DoS'ed the site first. Bastards!
i filled out their online form 2 hours before this slashdot story was posted, and i haven't gotten an email from them yet
;-)
is this in line with everyone else's experiences?
i'm not actually surprised, their site is hammered, i'm just wondering if i am the rule or the exception
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
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?
This space for rent, inquire within.
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
Shocking!
This is probably a good thing from a certain point of view. If they had tried to restrict political calls, then the whole regulation might have been tossed out on 1st Amendment grounds. It certainly would have clouded the issue, and would have very like have been challenged.
According to radio news the site this morning (before Slashdot) was registering 108 people per second, not a bad rate.
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!
I guess we're going to have to wait a few hours on this.
BTW, The e-mail address is so they can verify. You MUST respond to their e-mail within 72 hours or the registration is cancelled.
Next step, a national Do Not Email registry.
My office has been taken over by iPod people.
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
The do-not-call list is a nice idea, but it is going to be worthless due to some exceptions. For example, any company that can affiliate itself with a political or a charity organization is automatically allowed to contact you. That brings me to a question: why does the law allow for political and charity organizations to do telemarketing on the first place? If I want to donate money to a charity, I will do so without them telling me. If I want to support a politician and/or a party, I will do so upon my free will. Also, telemarketing companies will not give up their business easily; I suspect that we are going to face more spam in our inboxes and flyers in our mail. Moreover, by registering our numbers with the government we provide it with a list of valid phone numbers: expect more political soliciting. Unless there is a way to stop all unwated phone calls related to telemarketing/charity/politics people will not win.
It's kind of sad that they'll be going away, really. Oh how I'll miss that ever-present 10 second pause before they say hello. Or how they talk to my answering machine for a few minutes before they realize no one is there (with the general interest in telemarketing I could understand the confusion). And of course who can overlook the sheer amount of interesting stories they can provide a person.
For example like the time I answered the phone only to find a telemarketer in the midst of conversation with her "girlfrient" Brandy in the next cubicle. This one didn't even bother to say hello, just kept on talking. At least she was kind enough to eventually tell me to, "Hold on minute, will you?" Or perhaps the one time I kindly the told the telemarketer that I wasn't interested in their offer and he promptly told me to screw off in his own expletive-ridden way. My favorite, however, was the time I told one I was actually interested in their product just for kicks.
Sales Drone: "Excuse me, sir? Did you say you were interested?"
Me: "Yeah, that's right."
Sales Drone: "No one is ever interested, sir. I'm not even sure how to make a sale."
(Sets phone down and yells to his associates)
Sales Drone: "Anyone here ever make a sale before!?"
(Short pause)
Sales Drone: "I'm going to have to get you a manager. Can we call you back?"
Seriously, will anyone miss these people?
DigiSquid Design.
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
You do realize that any product you buy will now have a clause stating that by buying or registering the product you also sign up to receive special offers from them, their affiliates and whomever else they sell your information to? Explicit permission can be given in many ways, but few of them are actually explicit.
Wax-Museum Fire Results In Hundreds Of New Danny DeVito Statues
Damn!
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
... won't the telemarketing companies simply be able to move across the border and set up shop there? toronto's already a hotbed for telemarketing boiler rooms calling across canada and the states, this just might make things worse here.
If I'm already on the Missouri list and it's been nearly 100% successful, why would I need to be on the national list? Missouri isn't sharing it's data according to the site and I'm kind of glad because that would probably lead to "charities" from out of state calling me.
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin
Yeah, but that's even worse! Then they'll have a *phone number* to link to my ph....oh. Nevermind.
Hey, is it just me or did we manage to /. the registration site? Their server seems to be curled up fetal on the bottom of the rack right now. Good job guys.
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
I just had another thought.
/.er is probably thinking right now that it's less than ten billion total phone numbers (by the time you screen out non-US area codes, toll-free and service numbers it's probably on the order of 6 or 7 billion), a bunch of random domains and e-mails can be created to add EVERY SINGLE phone number to the list, and even automate the e-mail reply with a procmail line. (Actually, since business phone numbers aren't covered by the DNC list, it's probably less than 3 billion possible numbers.)
Some enterprising young
Don't.
No, really.
If the registry is a complete set of the US phone system, some telemarketer will sue claiming that there's false data in there, and that the majority of the people on the list never opted out.
They'll have to scrap the whole thing, and start over again with an even-more-invasive registration procedure.
Design for Use, not Construction!
Sweet, I was wondering what to do with my 1 Billion monkeys and computers. They really haven't produced anything of worth lately, "Blurst of times"? what the shit is that.
--- What
bgates@microsoft.com
;)
That's not his email address. sorry.
That's okay. I just used steve@apple.com instead!
Quod scripsi, scripsi.
Everyone is talking about the exemptions. No-one is talking about the delay.
If you sign up before August 1st, telemarketers have to stop calling you in October. This suggests that telemarketers should/will use the list as a "call now" list during September. Similarly, if you sign up after Aug 1, they have three months to call you as many times as posible.
Yes there has to be some delay, but three months?
I'm not saying they will all do this, but I bet some will.
This is not a political statement. This is not legal advice. It's a frick'n Slasdot post. However: I'm Running For
I bet there are some websites that wish there was such a thing as a national do not /. list. I have seen some people post really nasty messages after a site was linked by /. staff. Such as this one. For about a week this website had a "F*** You /." message on it.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
Think about this for a second, folks. You're helping the government compile a list that anyone but 'protected telemarketers' can call. The regular telemarketers have to grab the list, and weed the numbers out of their databases.
Now think about this. The government is supplying a list of telephone numbers. There exists 'protected telemarketers'. If you were a protected telemarketer, what would you do?
You got it. Download the list, and you've got yourself a database of active telephone nubmers to start calling. All for free. "Thanks for giving us your number, chump. Now me and my buddies can call all we want."
Until October 1, telemarketers are free to call without checking the "do not call" list.
You know that these marketing companies are going to be pressuring their clients to jump on their service before the deadline, to get the most bang. Expect a deluge of sales calls in September.
Offshore telemarketers and spammers from mining the do not call database? These people are scum anyways, and as long as they are not operating within the US, it seems to me that the US government has just handed them a bonafide list of valid phone and email addresses.
My rights don't need management.
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.
For some reason I don't think the freedom of speech should include the ability to irritate. If it is a "right" to use telemarketing, then it should also be a right to stand in the lobby of some mega-corporation touting a "free willy" sign. Both are invasions of property.
--WooooHoooo--
There has been much discussion about whether it's worth it to shut off your land line and go totally cellular or to just put up with the telemarketers. I think there's a relatively simple solution most people are overlooking...turn off your ringers.
Giving up my land line wouldn't really be an option for me, my cablebox uses it, my home burglar/fire alarm uses it, TiVO uses it, and ADSL uses it so giving it up really isn't an option. A couple other posts mentioned services, pizza guys and UPS, who specifically require a land line for confirmation. So, I kept my phone line and only turn on the ringer when I are specifically expecting a call on that line, the rest of the time the ringer is off and anyone who wants to reach us uses our cell numbers.
This way I have the best of both worlds, all my equipment that needs a phone line has one, we can talk to our family and friends whenever we want, and telemarketers get endless ringing that we never hear.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -RAH
<html>
<head>
<title>National Do Not Call Registry</title>
<meta content="Microsoft Visual Studio 7.0" name="GENERATOR">
<meta name="keywords" content="National Do Not Call Registry, telemarketers, FTC, Mobile Phone, Home Phone, Registration, Do Not Call"
<meta content="C#" name="CODE_LANGUAGE">
<meta content="JavaScript" name="vs_defaultClientScript">
<meta content="http://schemas.microsoft.com/intellisens
<link rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' href="css/style.css">
<script src="WebTrendScript.js" language="Javascript1.1"></script>
</head>
Which currently doesn't show up in Mozilla *at all*.
Now does Microsoft intentionally make their Visual Studio stuff (not to mention the latest PowerPoint, etc.) generate almost-HTML that don't display in Mozilla? You be the judge...
- "History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men" -- Blue Oyster Cult, 'Godzilla'
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.
If a non-profit organization calls you, remember that the people they hire to do this crap read from scripts and are under orders to not hang up untill they try every angle on you. Take this opportunity to ask them what they are wearing. Tell them how much telemarketers turn you on. And above all feel free to scream wild orgasmic yulps as every offer they make gets you hotter and hotter....
-Cnik
Acually, he has a point. When you use someones phone, or use there e-mail, you are invading their property with your e-mail/phone call. They pay for the service, and it is up to them how it should be used. You should not have to allow "anyone" to send you anything into your home BECAUSE you pay for a service. You SHOULD have the right, the liberty, to define what does and does not enter your home. When you watch television you are allowing whatever those people want to come into your home, and it is up to you to decide whether you want to turn it off or not.
When you have a phone you are not requesting the information that people send to you, you are using it as a communications device.
When a company starts sending unsolicited material, in volume, that might be construed as an invasion of property, a denial of service against your phone so to speak.
YOU PAY FOR THE PHONE, you should have the RIGHT to say "i dont want MY phone to be used this way"
because it is YOUR phone, YOUR service.
if someone signed up for a "i dont want to be part of a gallop poll" list then yes by god that person shouldnt have the gallop poll ringing their house.
it is not freedom of speech to FORCE someone to listen to, or receive content. It is freedom of speech to ALLOW someone to say there peice, but it is NOT freedom of speech to make someone listen to it.
That is a captive audience, and thats what telemarkters, TV, and Spammers, all want.
IT IS NOT THE RIGHT of SPAMMERS, TV, TELEMARKTERS to have a captive audience, or even a "partially captive audience" (ie forcing you to at least allow them to try to talk to you). They can send there message as much as they wwant, but they should not necessarilly be allowed to do it using private infrastructure (the phone to your house).
The problem is, TV, spammers, etc, are all trying to get into the mode where it is required you listen to someone elses "free speech" or "corporate speech" so that they can try to sell you products. But it is stupid because once you receive the information you paid for, you should be able to block, stop, or edit it for how YOU want to view it.
but that is becoming illegal, alreayd is illegal in some venues.
This is really a great victory for privacy advocates because it says people can stop others from using their property, and their infrastructure to annoy them without the ability to stop them.
If you don't vote, you don't matter, so don't waste your time telling me your opinion
AP - Redmond, WA
The national "Do Not Call List" website opened for business today promising the citizens of America freedom from dinnertime solicitations. Unfortunately, the server has come under massive attack from what can only be assumed to be terrorist telemarketing OSDN subordinates. The cell, identified by a cryptic symbol of a forward slash followed by a period have admitted responsibility for their actions, and continue to hammer the server.
A local anonymous CFO admitted that he himself has had trouble with this organization before, then excused himself to read his email from support@yahoo.com.
In order for the FCC/FTC to enforce the do-not-call list, they are going to have to get complaints from us the consumer. When filing a complaint, the consumer must be able to report either the company name or telephone number that belongs to the telemarketer. Even though its the law that telemarketers need to provide this information up-front, often they don't. If the consumer doesn't know who to complain about, then how is the FCC/FTC going to impose fines on any telemarketer?