Author Topic: 118800 the new mobile phone directory  (Read 1299 times)

Martin

118800 the new mobile phone directory
« on: 10 July, 2009, 12:05:56 am »
I was urgently told today I had to go ex-directory on this via a link on the BBC News today so did the usual enter mobile number get txt enter it back on the website;

Have I been taken for a ride and they are now just confirming peoples' current mobiles?  >:(

If it's anything like the "valuable 20p" story the Beeb should do their research before they put any old bolleaux like this up as "news"

oh what a surprise it's fallen over anyway :-\

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fruitcake

  • some kind of fruitcake
Re: 118800 the new mobile phone directory
« Reply #1 on: 12 July, 2009, 12:07:15 pm »
I read an email from a friend urging me to enter my mobile number on 118800's website in order to opt out.  

A brief read of BBC and The Register explains that 118800 is not a directory but rather an intermediary that connects calls.  
A searcher contacts 118800, 118800 then contacts the cell phone number on its list.  The phone number is not given to the searcher.  I guess this is how 118800 gets around the data protection laws.  However, this also severely limits the functionality of the service.  
Crave slates it because it will return false matches, with the searcher wasting their £1 fee.

Many of the numbers on the marketing lists that 118800 has bought will be out of date because people have moved house or upgraded their phone and got a new SIM in the deal or changed mobile network.  

I don't know if their opt out mechanism could be used either now or in future for harvesting mob no.s
There's a chance they don't have my number anyway.
If they do and I ignore calls from 118800 they won't know that my cell phone number is active.
So, I'm gonna do nothing.