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Or, phrased another way: we are NOT in possession of a phone number any more than we are in possession of an IP address. Both are transiently assigned to us to
by T3OU-736 7y ago
Or, phrased another way: we are NOT in possession of a phone number any more than we are in possession of an IP address. Both are transiently assigned to us to the computer with a cellular modem in our pockets
- gruez 7y agoNot really. For all intents and purposes you do "own" the number. You can take it to any carrier you want (local number portability), and carriers can't expropriate it. Try doing that with a /32 you got from your ISP, even a static one.
- djsumdog 7y agoTrue, but it's important to note phone numbers have the amount of security as e-mail/SMTP for self-identification. That's why it's so easy to spoof phone numbers and how robo-callers work. Only this year, telecos are finally adding signature verification to caller-ID/reverse lookups. Once every teleco in a given country supports and is required to implement phone number verification, there will be a higher degree of assurance a phone number on your caller ID really is the person calling, but it's not there yet.
- NotSammyHagar 7y agoThe point is you own it in one sense, but the phone company can reassign to someone else (even if temporary, it's still gone). It's not locked to a physical device at your house that no one else can change, it's not like a diamond ring on your finger.
- zamadatix 7y agoBetter analogy would be a MAC address instead of an IP address.