• TrueCall secures your landline against fraud – or you could just disconnect it

    Devin Coldewey

    Devin Coldewey is a Seattle-based writer and photographer. He has written for the TechCrunch network since 2007. Some posts he’d like you to read: The Dangers of Externalizing Knowledge | Generation i | Surveillant Society | Choose Two | Frame Wars | The User’s Manifesto | Our Great Sin His personal website is coldewey.cc. → Learn More

    Thursday, October 23rd, 2008


    I guess if you’ve still got a landline, you’re a primary target for fraudsters. After all, it’s the year 2008 and you have a landline. Fortunately, something that sounds like it’s out of a 2004 SkyMall catalog is coming to the rescue. The TrueCall device answers every call with an unknown number instantly and asks who it is. The person identifies themselves, then the system rings you and tells you. You then have the choice to talk to the person, have them leave a message, or ban them forever. If you ban them, their calls never get through again and are instantly answered with a “go away” message. Approved calls will always come through.

    Apparently in an age where I have access to practically all human knowledge in the palm of my hand, an age where robots roll around on Mars, we still need someone to protect us from a boogeyman using a glorified tin can on a string.

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