Hackers change TelCo policy.

Direct Dialing no longer possible to some countries.

[grelmar]

Telus and Saktel are about to band direct dialing to a number of countries because browser hijacking incidents are on the rise, causing computers to dial out to various countries.

Affected nations:

Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, the Nauru Republic, Sao Tome, Tokelau, Tuvalu and the Cook Islands.

Calls to these nations must now be operator assisted if you live within the provinces where Telus and Saktel provide primary service.

I really had no idea that the problem was widespread enough for the TelCos to take such drastic action. Anyone in here more informed on the subject?

_{source: The Globe and Mail [globetechnology.com]}

[Jenstar]

I am friends with a woman whose husband ran up a nearly $2000 phone bill after he downloaded a dialer (or maybe more than one) of an adult site. She phoned Telus to complain and got the "hehe, Dearie, let me explain what your husband has been doing on the computer..." And he is her husband no more ;)

[Krapulator]

She divorced him because he looked at a bit of porn on the net? Harsh woman :D

[grelmar]

Harsh. My wife doesn't care what I look at, so long as I show her the really good stuff.

[lawman]

Let's stay on topic.

[grelmar]

Back to the topic then.

Anyone see this as a potential view of things to come? TelCos stepping in to control what we have access to, in order to "protect us"?

I'm curious, because there are more things at stake here than it would first appear. The TelCos are effectively saying "You can't call there unless you go through an operator, because there can be a nasty place, and we need to protect you."

There is a moderate creepy factor involved in all this.

[Jenstar]

The phone companies are losing money too - people are refusing to pay these charges, or the phone company is refunding some of the charges and it can really add up if the average bill is over $1000. Only 2000 legitimate phone calls are placed to those countries each month.

Article in the Toronto Star. [thestar.com]

[g1smd]

Good to see that. Protection for the consumer, because education would never work.

You can still dial the number, and be put through by the operator.

No privacy concerns there at all, because no matter whether the call is connected by an operator, or by direct dial, the TelCo still records the numbers that you dialled, stores them in a database, and puts them on your itemised bill anyway.