Mobile phone privacy

Picture of three Michigan Yellow Book Directories
Proper directories

There’s a new mobile phone directory on the scene in the UK – 118 800. As it stands, they won’t give your number out to anyone. However, if you’ve filled in your mobile phone on any other web site, document, order form or the like then the chances are they’ve bought it and added it to the list. People can ring them with your name and be put through to you. Expect big usage by cold-callers and phone spammers.

However, you can get yourself taken off their lists. One way is to send an SMS, the other is to do it for free online. Go to this web page and fill in the details. They’ll send you an SMS with a code number. Fill that in on the page and they will remove you so you shouldn’t be bothered.

I thought we’d all gone for “opt in” rather than “opt out” in the UK as far as privacy went, but they’ve found a loophole. Often when you fill in your details to – let’s say – ensure you can be contacted if a package can’t be delivered to your front door you’re also agreeing to have the number passed on to other companies… and 118 800 are the first to go out and buy up all those lists for commercial purposes.

Nasty? Maybe, but it’s legal. Make sure you pass on the details to get everyone you know off their books.

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Review-fest

Brisbane CBD and the Story Bridge, Brisbane QLD.
Brissie

The next few days will be jam-packed with reviews for books and things. The reasons for this are several-fold. First up, I had them all written but forgot to post them. Secondly, I have the time to schedule them for upload right now. And thirdly, I’ll be staying with Belinda and Albert in Brisbane for a while and they’re on dial-up (it still exists!) so I won’t be online for so long while I’m there.

In addition I’d have to use Windows to get online as I can’t get my internal modem to work under Ubuntu. Ick. Another reason to dodge the internet for a few days!

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Bowson Lettings? Collective group of ********, more like

Not a personal experience, but one of someone I know. Bowson Lettings let him down somewhat massively and wasted a lot of his time. So I’m linking to the post in a vague attempt to push it up the Google listings so that people can see how crap Bowson Lettings are and to use someone else if they’re looking to rent a property in the Jesmond area of Newcastle.

That’s Bowson Lettings – the **** on your shoe of flat and house rental in Newcastle Upon Tyne.