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Subject: IP: A big story, I think: "Single-Number Plan Raises Privacy Fears"
This is a real concern that will haunt us if we ignore it now.. djf >From: bdolan@usit.net >To: "David Farber" <farber@linc.cis.upenn.edu> > >As I'm sure you know, the "Telcordia" referenced below used to be Bellcore. > >bd > >Single-Number Plan Raises Privacy > Fears > Technology: System would link > telephones, faxes and Web addresses > while creating giant databases. > > By JUBE SHIVER Jr., > Times Staff Writer > > WASHINGTON -- A > controversial technology > under development by the > communications industry > that links Internet > addresses with phone > numbers has quietly > picked up key government > support as concern > mounts among critics > that the technology will > broadly undermine > privacy. > > The technology, known as > e-number, or ENUM, would > link phone numbers to > codes that computer > servers use to route > traffic on the Web. > Proponents say the > technology would improve > communication for > consumers and marketers > alike. > > The industry envisions a > sophisticated electronic > address book that would > be able to direct > messages to virtually > any fax machine, > computer or telephone, > using a new 11-digit > e-number. As a result, a > fax could be sent to > someone who lacked a fax > machine but had an > e-mail address. > Likewise, cell phone > users would only have to key in > 11-digits to send e-mail, not a > cumbersome alphanumeric address. > > But privacy advocates fear the > system could undermine online > privacy and erode the security of > the public phone system as well. > They worry that the system would > destroy a pillar of Internet > privacy: the assumption by users > that they enjoy anonymity in > cyberspace. > > The government's endorsement of the > technology, disclosed in interviews > and outlined in an Aug. 21 letter > distributed to an industry group, is > seen as critical in pushing it > forward. > > "The United States does see merit in > pursing discussions regarding > implementation of a coordinated, > global [system] . . . for ENUM," > Julian E. Minard, a State Department > advisor to the International > Telecommunication Advisory > Committee, wrote to representatives > of AT&T and other companies. But > Minard cautioned in the letter that > aspects of the technology advocated > by industry "go beyond what is > prudent or necessary." > > ENUM is likely to be voluntary, > requiring users to sign up for the > service. But privacy experts say it > will not be worth the time and > investment the industry is making in > the technology unless it is widely > used. So they expect ENUM will be > aggressively promoted. > > "We believe that ENUM raises serious > questions about privacy and security > that need to be addressed before > it's widely deployed," said Alan > Davidson, associate director of the > Center for Democracy and Technology, > a privacy watchdog group based in > Washington. "They are promoting this > as a system that is going to make it > really easy for people to find you > in all kinds of ways. Well, we want > to make sure that consumers can opt > out if they don't want to be found." > > Today, vigilant Web surfers can > maintain a high degree of anonymity > because e-mail and other Web > addresses contain little personal > information. What's more, Web > addresses under aliases can easily > be created to cloak the identity of > the sender. As a result, marketers > have been forced to spend millions > of dollars to get Web surfers to > voluntarily give up personal > information. > > By contrast, a phone number has a > wealth of personal information > associated with it, including a > street address, billing records and > dialing data. Marrying such > information to Web addresses would > represent a leap in private data > warehousing in cyberspace and > dramatically increase the risk of > privacy invasions, experts say. > > "Someone could write a program to > query the ENUM database and obtain > every line of your contact > information and send spam to every > communications device you own," said > Chris Hoofnagle, legislative > director of the Electronic Privacy > Information Center in Washington. > > Hoofnagle added that industry claims > that consumers would be able to opt > out of the system, or otherwise > protect their private information, > are hollow. "There could be coercion > down the road [by marketers] to push > consumers to use ENUM to store their > contact information. Absent > legislation, there is likely to be > abuse." > > Since the Federal Communications > Commission regulates the nation's > telephone industry and the Commerce > Department administers key contracts > that allow private firms such as > Mountain View, Calif.-based Verisign > Inc. to register Internet domain > names, the government is likely to > play a powerful role in the outcome > of ENUM. > > Its backing of further ENUM > development is the most significant > support yet for the technology. It > comes as a newly created industry > group, called the ENUM-Forum, agreed > last week to an ambitious schedule > to conclude work on ENUM by next > May. > > "This is a big milestone," Gary W. > Richenaker, of Telcordia > Technologies Inc., said of the > group's first meeting last Monday. > Richenaker, who chaired the > gathering, said that officials of > the State Department, Federal Trade > Commission and Commerce Department > attended. > > ENUM would work by combining two > massive electronic databases: North > American telephone numbers now > administered by a Washington company > called NeuStar Inc. and the main > database that routes Internet > messages, which is largely > controlled by Verisign. > > An ENUM address reverses a standard > phone number and appends "e164.arpa" > to it. For example, the toll-free > directory assistance number would be > converted to > 2.1.2.1.5.5.5.0.0.8.1.e164.arpa. > ENUM would recognize both the > e164.arpa address and the phone > number as belonging to directory > assistance. > > With some software tweaks to the > current Internet system, computers > could be made to route messages to > such 11-digit ENUM addresses in much > the same way they now use up to > 12-digits to send e-mail and display > Web pages. > > Although industry engineers recently > completed technical specifications > for ENUM, AT&T, Cisco Systems Inc., > SBC Communications Inc. and more > than 20 members of the ENUM-Forum > agreed last week to work out > additional critical details of the > system. > > ENUM-Forum players also include AOL > Time Warner Inc., British > Telecommunications plc and > NetNumber.com Inc.--a Web start-up > that has been operating a private, > volunteer ENUM system for nearly a > year. > > The companies will tackle > operational and security issues, > such as who would be authorized to > make service changes. Phones are > ordinarily associated with street > addresses, not individuals, so > businesses and households with more > than one person or phone would need > to determine who has control over > the ENUM associated with the phones. > > The State Department's Minard said > his Aug. 21 letter reflected the > input of several government agencies > but termed the document a "draft" > that could change as industry > details about ENUM evolve. > > Minard declined to elaborate on the > misgivings expressed about ENUM in > the letter. Other sources say ENUM > is most strongly supported by the > Commerce Department, while the FCC > and State Department remain wary of > the potential political fallout from > embracing the technology. > > The industry, too, is divided over > how much the government should be > involved. The heavily regulated > telephone industry supports a > broader government role than do > Internet companies such as Verisign > and AOL Time Warner. > > Stacy M. Cheney, an attorney for the > Commerce Department, said the > government has not decided whether > to play any regulatory role. But he > said officials support "continuing > discussions" on ENUM and would send > representatives to a Sept. 12 > meeting of an International > Telecommunication Union panel to > discuss the technology. > > Industry officials liken ENUM's > potential effect to the introduction > of touch-tone dialing in 1963. That > advance paved the way for a host of > modern phone features, including the > ability to bank by phone and > navigate voicemail menus. > > ENUM "could be a huge boon to > Internet telephony and basic > communications convergence," said > Aristotle Balogh, vice president of > technology at Verisign. > > ENUM, however, may never be embraced > by businesses or consumers because > of the privacy concerns. The > technology will also require support > from Internet service providers, > software developers, phone carriers > and others. > > Still, ENUM is expected to gain > momentum with the government's > support. It could also get a big > boost from efforts by Microsoft > Corp. and AOL Time Warner to make > new versions of their software > support ENUM technology. > > For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/
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