3 ms·

So publishing a telephone book is now a crime against humanity?

Retric 2y ago
Inclusion in a phone books was optional. Edit: And required setting up a phone line with the company distributing this information.
- qup 2y ago
  If I offer an opt-out option for my doxxing website, it'll be fine?
  - Retric 2y ago
    No. Phone companies only included actual customers, and it was clear when signing up what would happen. Your doxxing website has no relationship with a random celebrity or such implied consent.
- ghaff 2y ago
  In the US at least, sort of but not really. It was definitely opt-out--for a fee. There's a huge amount of information that is public as a matter of law. I'm sure that many people here don't like the degree of that information being public but nonetheless it is. See also recent discussion on salary information.
  - Retric 2y ago
    It was always free to not be a customer. The fee applied to customers who wanted an unusual service.
    - ghaff 2y ago
      Yes. You could not have a landline telephone. Which was not very practical for most people pre-cell phones.
      - Retric 2y ago
        Not initially, phone’s have been around long enough it’s easy to forget ubiquity took time. At the beginning you just said the name and location of the person you wanted to call. Publishing names addresses and phone numbers was a useful feature after phone numbers existed but before everyone had a pocket supercomputer. Callers avoid needing to talk to an operator and addresses distinguished between different John Smith’s. So being included was just part of the service. Sure some people with unusual requests were charged more, but it’s inherently a different situation from doxxing. If you pay a carpenter to build you a deck you can’t exactly sue them for trespassing while they’re doing what you asked for.
- bee_rider 2y ago
  Also, the world changes over time. Phone books do seem to have included a bit more info than it is currently prudent to share. It was before industrial-scale scamming. Didn’t schools used to use social security numbers as student IDs. And then use them to post grades, or something like that? (I might be mixing up stories).
klyrs 2y ago
Wild, isn't it? Just recently they criminalized calling 911 and lying to them about being in distress at somebody else's house. Free speech!

Inclusion in a phone books was optional. Edit: And required setting up a phone line with the company distributing this information.

qup 2y ago
If I offer an opt-out option for my doxxing website, it'll be fine?
- Retric 2y ago
  No. Phone companies only included actual customers, and it was clear when signing up what would happen. Your doxxing website has no relationship with a random celebrity or such implied consent.
ghaff 2y ago
In the US at least, sort of but not really. It was definitely opt-out--for a fee. There's a huge amount of information that is public as a matter of law. I'm sure that many people here don't like the degree of that information being public but nonetheless it is. See also recent discussion on salary information.
- Retric 2y ago
  It was always free to not be a customer. The fee applied to customers who wanted an unusual service.
  - ghaff 2y ago
    Yes. You could not have a landline telephone. Which was not very practical for most people pre-cell phones.
    - Retric 2y ago
      Not initially, phone’s have been around long enough it’s easy to forget ubiquity took time. At the beginning you just said the name and location of the person you wanted to call. Publishing names addresses and phone numbers was a useful feature after phone numbers existed but before everyone had a pocket supercomputer. Callers avoid needing to talk to an operator and addresses distinguished between different John Smith’s. So being included was just part of the service. Sure some people with unusual requests were charged more, but it’s inherently a different situation from doxxing. If you pay a carpenter to build you a deck you can’t exactly sue them for trespassing while they’re doing what you asked for.
bee_rider 2y ago
Also, the world changes over time. Phone books do seem to have included a bit more info than it is currently prudent to share. It was before industrial-scale scamming. Didn’t schools used to use social security numbers as student IDs. And then use them to post grades, or something like that? (I might be mixing up stories).

klyrs 2y ago

Wild, isn't it? Just recently they criminalized calling 911 and lying to them about being in distress at somebody else's house. Free speech!