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Comment by asow92

1 year ago

Would you support phones having an optional answering captcha system for untrusted numbers? Something like:

"answer the following question to complete your call: if Sally has two eggs and Michael has one, how many do they both have?"

My Dad's landline makes you press a digit before completing the call. So that exists already, and wish more would add this as a feature. I'm sure like anything, it could be defeated, if they had a system listening for the key to press. But it works for now.

  • Oh definitely, and and it will always be a game of cat and mouse.

    That feature on your Dad's phone sounds like a decent step in the right direction.

To check the balance on a prepaid credit card I found on the ground (the modern equivalent of finding a $20 bill lol) I had to go through a prompt that said “press the number of the first digit of the following: eight, four, two”

So it works in some way for the CC companies at least.

Isn't that the sort of task that's easier for an AI than a human with other stuff on their minds?

  • I agree that it wouldn't catch all spam, but it might help reduce the amount of recorded robocalls waiting for someone naive enough to engage.

    • I have a better suggestion - every phone call will involve a microtransaction (e.g. $0.01) from the caller to the recipient, even if not picked up. I want to see anyone make robocalls then.

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