10 Reasons not to fear the mobile directory

                                                                                         

The mobile directory's arrival has been heralded by the usual bleating of piracy campaigners who believe that 118800 is some kind of open invitation for telemarketers, call centres and paedophiles to gain unfettered access to our most intimate of gadgets.

Well, we think that maybe, just maybe, 118800 is good idea and we shouldn't fear it. It might even come in bloody handy one day. Here's 10 reasons why:

1. It's expensive
Sure, a quid doesn't seem like a huge outlay for an important phone number, but if you think cold callers are going to invest in thousands of these on the off chance they can find someone old and gullible enough for their latest must-have timeshare offers, you're wrong.

2. It texts you first
118800 doesn't hand out mobile phone details willy-nilly. In fact, on the off chance you can actually find the right person on it (more on that shortly), it will send them a text message first, asking them to confirm that they want to hand over their details to some shady stalker person.

3. It only finds one person at a time
Another loss for the telemarketers and market researchers, 118800 only finds one person at a time. That makes for a pretty laborious task for any company wanting to aggressively market their garbage using the online directory.

4. You can go ex-directory
Of course, you don't need to be in it at all. Text the letter 'E' to 118800 and they'll erase it from their list. The only annoyance is that this will cost you the price of a text, so instead you can call them for free on 0800 138 6263.

5. It doesn't provide any other details
A name and number are one thing, but the service isn't giving out any of your other details. It'll hook users up with your phone number but it won't share where you live, your annual household income, your GCSE results or your sexual preferences.

6. You give away more info on Facebook
All of the above items are things you may have already given out on Facebook or any other social networking site, and all of those are going to be processed by marketing types sooner or later in their hunt for whichever demographic niche they've fixated on this week.

7. It can't find anyone anyway
118800 claims to have access to 15 million numbers. Sounds like a lot, but it's only a third of the UK, not taking into account all of the out of date numbers, the ones incorrectly entered and the PAYG handsets that sit in a draw all day doing nothing. Odds are you're not even on there anyway.

8. There was this thing called the phonebook...
A long time ago when there was this stuff called paper, there existed a vast book listing all the people in the local area, with full names, phone numbers and addresses. Actually, that does seem a little crazy now, but somehow our grandparents survived this gross invasion of privacy.

9. If you lose your phone, it could be a lifesaver
So here's a reason why it might even be useful. If you lose your handset without backing up the numbers, you're normally in a bit of a pickle. At least this way you'll be able to track down some of the hard to reach numbers and stay in touch.

10. It's already too late
The way 118800 works is that it gets numbers from market research companies and online forms. You know those boxes that you alternatively have to tick or untick? Well, those are being used by 118800. So in fact, if you're number is on there, that means your number is already in the unholy clutches of the call centres and it's only a matter of time before the strike. And right in the middle of dinner too.

About the author:
This article was publised at T3, the Gadget website. 118800 -mobile phone directory- connects people and does not give out mobile numbers. The service has been suspended but will be back up and running soon.

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