In this article we’re going to discuss the pros and cons of a fairly new invention in relation to how long the telephone itself has been around, caller ID.
The first thing, for those who may not know exactly what caller ID is and how it works, is to give a brief explanation of caller ID.
To trace caller ID’s history you have to go back to the 1980s. During this time, state public utility commissions from all over the country were trying to agree whether or not to approve telephone company requests for Caller Number ID service (CNID) which had come from the ever increasing annoyances of telemarketing and prank calls. At the time Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) brought up some concerns that were published in their news letters and newspapers printed around the country. Because of these concerns, Public Utility Commissions (PUC) decided that they better get involved in the proceedings that were taking place across the country.
The decisions of each state varied. Some agreed with the CPSR analysis that not having the ability to block one’s number from being identified led to right to privacy issues that we are still battling today. In California they actually requested that CNID would not be allowed in their state. The commission however decided to allow it with the provision that the number would only be visible if the person making the call gave permission for this to be done. By default, no numbers would be shown, which effectively made caller ID in California pretty useless. Because of this restriction, telephone companies in California decided not to offer caller ID at all. Meanwhile, in Oregon, certain privacy concessions were made so that the caller ID service was approved.
Because of the problems that they faced in many states, telephone companies petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to issue rules on CNID that would apply nationwide. What this ended up doing was just making things worse. The FCC decided to make number blocking the default nation wide, which actually overruled many of the individual state’s decisions. Many of the states appealed but the FCC denied all their appeals. This cleared the way for telephone companies to offer CNID with weak privacy protections nationwide. That is what we have today.
But what good is caller ID anyway? Most numbers that call us we probably won’t recognize anyway unless they are close friends. What if a company we actually do business with tries to call us? We may not recognize the number. Do we answer the phone or not? The truth is, and many people believe this, answering machines do a better job of screening calls than caller ID. The machine actually answers the call and then if it’s important the caller will leave a message and a phone number so we can get back to them.
The bigger problem with caller ID is that this allows businesses to collect phone numbers for marketing purposes, which brings up the privacy concerns again.
Whatever side of the fence you’re on, caller ID will certainly be a greatly debated topic for many years to come.
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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Telephones
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An entire generation of teenagers may become senile or have brain cancer at the peak of their lives due to cellular phone usage and other wireless technologies.
These are the findings of the study published in Environmental Health Perspectives.
The study, based on intensive use of cellular phones, may cause apprehension in Western countries because it reveals new ways in which microwaves can affect our health.
Leif Salford, the researcher who led the study that was conducted at Lund University in Sweden, claims that the fact that we voluntarily expose our brain to cell phone radiation is ?the largest biological experiment in the history of the world.? Professor Salford fears that as the wireless technology becomes more popular people will “drown in a sea of microwaves.?
The study tested the leakage of albumin in the circulation of blood in the brain. Prior studies of the subject have focused on the possibility that cell phones heat brain tissue thereby causing cancer. But the many studies trying to determine whether cell phones cause cancer have not been conclusive.
Thus, the cell phone industry in the US has managed to minimize findings regarding cellular radiation effects, but now the World Health Organization has taken over the research.
Exposure to cellular radiation affects the cells
“This study proves again that interference with cell activity of the body does not necessarily occur with high exposure to radiation that leads to heating of the area of exposure but can also occur with low exposure” says Professor Rafi Korenstein, a scientist from the University of Tel-Aviv.
In a study published by Professor Korenstein with a number of other scientists six months ago (Bioelectromagnetics, 2003), it was proven that long-term exposure to cell phone radiation can affect the duplication of hereditary substance creating during the cell-division process, thereby increasing the risk for cancer.
The Head of the Cancer Department at the Israeli Ministry of Health, Dr. Mike Brichna, disagrees: in studies conducted on mice, researchers found changes in brain activity. The problem is to prove that what harms mice brains will cause the same effect in human brains. Regardless, the doctor has three pieces of advice for people using cell phones:
- Always talk with a wide open antenna.
- Keep the antenna as far away from your ear as you can.
- Use speakers whenever possible.
Some common questions and answers to learn more about this issue:
What is E.M.R.?
Answer: E.M.R. refers to Electromagnetic Radio-frequency Radiation which is the potentially dangerous frequency emitted by cellular or mobile phones. High frequency ionizing forms of radiation exists as X-rays, Gamma rays and forms of nuclear radiation known to be hazardous . Non-ionizing radiation of lower frequency ionizing forms such as early cell phones were thought to be safe. That view has changed since cell phones and mobile phones have grown in strength from low-level radio waves to high-level microwaves. No scientific study has proven conclusively that the use of cellular phones is hazardous to human health, yet continued use of higher frequency phones could adversely affect the central nervous system, diminish the effectiveness of the immune system and facilitate the development of cancer according to scientific research. Perhaps this is why governments and health organizations worldwide are spending millions of dollars towards on-going research to determine the long term effects of exposure to E.M.R from cellular and mobile phones.
What is S.A.R.?
Answer: S.A.R. or Specific Absorption Rate of Radiation is used to measure the amount of radiation that the human body absorbs from any source, including cellular phones. The F.C.C. (Federal Communications Commission) sets limits as to what they deemed were safe levels of radiation from cell phones. In the beginning when analog phones were 800-900 MHZ of power, most of the cell phones manufactured met these safe guidelines. However as manufacturers raised the power of their phones up to 1800-2000MHZ and analog was replaced by digital, the majority of the cell phones now exceed the safe levels set by the F.C.C. In fact the manufacturers continue to lobby to have the levels raised, so they may keep increasing the power of the phones. The highest S. A. R. in the body is in the ear, thus the concern about excessive cell phone use and the strength of the signal.
How is S.A.R. measured on a cell phone?
Answer: When a call is made or received there is a band of radiation from the antenna, half of which disappears into space. The remaining radiation is around the skull, face and ear area of the user and runs through the circuitry of the phone when transmitting the call. A dummy head is immersed in a gel-like solution similar to body fluid and a cell phone is attached to the ear. Readings are taken from the antenna to determine the S.A.R. strength which will vary from phone to phone and proximity to the closest signal tower.
Bob Shobi is a freelance writer providing information and research the hazards of cellular phones.
To find out more about the dangers, get more cell phone radiation information, or check out how dangers your phone is with the common phones SAR chart.
