Comcast Data Breach Leaks Thousands of Unlisted Phone Numbers

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/08/comcast-data-breach-leaks-thousands-unlisted-phone-numbers-threatening-customers

by jswt001 • 12 years ago

34 6 12 years ago

coldcode• 12 years ago

... and Comcast didn't care a whit. After all the customers paid them to protect the information, and they already had the money, and the customers have no where else to go anyway since its mostly a monopoly. Pay some small fine, move on, maybe you can upsell them on even more protection and make it up anyway. This sure makes me want to support Comcast becoming a national monopoly.

Someone1234• 12 years ago

People have to PAY to have an unlisted number? That seems like a very strange concept to me.

pktgen• 12 years ago

Telcos have been charging for that forever. Most of your normal "landline replacement" VoIP providers do not. I suppose it was only a natural progression though for Comcast to charge for it, since that's kind of their MO.

tanderson92• 12 years ago

Yes but there is a way around the problem -- you can list your number under the previous owner's name. Then whenever you get a phone call asking for <Previous Owner's Name> you know you can immediately hang up.

I agree it's not quite a perfect substitute, but it works fairly well.

ams6110• 12 years ago

Another reason to just go with a mobile phone. There are no listings for those numbers that I am aware of.

dewnaughts• 12 years ago

There's still a database of customer names and billing/contact information. That could easily be breached as well.

Comcast Data Breach Leaks Thousands of Unlisted Phone Numbers

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