Disposable Phone Numbers Offer Privacy

August 22, 2006 -- Rasheedah Bailey is an aspiring actress who is weary of constantly giving out her phone number. So she decided to sign up for a private, disposable phone number.

"I give out my private phone number to everyone I know," Bailey said.

It doesn't ring to Rasheedah's home or cell phone, isn't listed in any directory, and won't show up on an Internet search. Each call is automatically forwarded to a personal voice mail box. When there's a new message, she receives an alert.

"And I'm able to check the voice messages on e-mail," Bailey said.

She can also check her messages by phone, and then call back whomever she wants. She says it's a matter of safety. Matt Wisk, with the company PrivatePhone says an extra number comes in handy if you're on the dating scene or auctioning off items on the Internet.

"Another application is for people who shop online and don't want to be bothered by telemarketers," Wisk said.

You can have as many numbers as you want and shut down a line at any time. So how do you get a number to call your own?

"You just go onto our website. You choose a state, an area code, and a city. Boom! We give you a number and you start handing it out to people," Wisk said.

Another company called jangl is testing a service that works differently. The company gives you get an ID to hand out to people. When they text your ID or plug it in on the company website ... they get a disposable number to call.

"These phone numbers, what they do, is they actually forward to your real phone," Michael Cerda, of jangl, said.

But, privacy experts say you should still beware. While your information won't be revealed to callers, you are still providing things like your name, e-mail, and in some cases your cell phone number and billing information to the company when you open an account.

"One of the problems, and this is true of a number of telecommunications companies, is that they share information with their affiliates," Sherwin Siy, of the Electronic Privacy Information Center.

Both PrivatePhone and jangl admit sharing information with their affiliates, but say they conform to all privacy regulations.

PrivatePhone has a free plan, although you can upgrade and get extra services for a monthly fee.

Jangl has launched a beta service where you can test it out for free. The company plans to launch a paid service early next year.

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