CBS news reports that someone is fighting fire with fire where telemarketers are concerned. A developer named Roger Anderson, founder of The Jolly Roger Telephone Co, employs AI to annoy to them so he doesn't have to. He even has a Kickstarter page to make a service available, large-scale.
We've all been there -- usually right at dinner time, the phone rings and you pick up only to find out that you have now been roped into an unwanted conversation with a telemarketer. Have you ever wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine? Well, now, a developer is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to turn the tables and annoy those pesky callers.
The Jolly Roger Telephone Co., from developer Roger Anderson, is a robot voice that answers with "hello?" and keeps the conversation going. When you get a telemarketing call, you manually conference in the robot and then go on about your life. It stays on the line and any time it senses a moment of silence in the conversation, the robot voice jumps in and fills the gap with generic responses like "yes" or "right" or "hang on."
[Ed Note: Some of the links in the blockquote from CBS News have autoplay videos.]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Saturday February 06 2016, @02:59PM
Most telemarketers (or worse: collection agents) I encounter use a robot to pre-screen their calls.
They require you to push a specific number on the telephone keypad to talk to a person. Or worse, they may have you go though a menu tree to talk to a person.
This is most annoying with collection calls, because there is no option to say "That person having trouble paying their bills lost their phone-number, and it got re-assigned" If you push any number to talk to somebody, they take it as an admission that you are the person in question and call more often. You have to demand their mailing address so that you can sent them registered mail asking them to stop. In my case, they stopped without me actually having to send the registered mail.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 06 2016, @04:34PM
I used to get threatening robo calls from a collection agency for someone named "Jose" who gave a false number. They never identified themselves, only gave a number to call. This went on twice a week for months, there was no option or way to talk to a real person. I googled the phone number, found the company name and contact info, sent them an email with my phone number stating I was not "Jose" and didn't know anyone named "Jose", and that I have filed many complaints about these calls with the FCC, and that if I received any more calls I would contact an attorney and sue the fuck out of them. No more calls. Here's another story about telemarketers... I got many calls from "This is windows calling, your computer has a virus". I wasted their time playing along, not telling them I run Linux. Makes for a hilarious time. I finally got tired of them calling back, so I looked up some phone numbers. The next time they called I told them they called me on my car phone, and to call me back on my landline where I could talk near my computer. But I gave them the number to (use your imagination here). No more calls.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 06 2016, @07:03PM
I have had the 'windows' guys call three times.
The first time "OH thank GOD YOU CALLED!!!! I have been trying to get rid of this virus for 3 days and cant figure it out its a tough one" they hung up on me :)
The second time "I do not have a computer" that really stumped him for about 3 seconds "someone in your household must have a computer". Good 5 mins of back and forth about how I think they are the devils work. He hung up on me too.
Third time "look its a scam I know it and you know it you should just get a different job" They agreed but still hung up on me.
(Score: 2) by arulatas on Tuesday February 09 2016, @07:18PM
I spent 20 minutes with them on Friday. They asked if I could turn my computer on. I said it was already on. Asked if I could get in front of it. I said I already was. They asked me if I could see the icons. I said all I could see was my pictures. After about 20 minutes talking about my pictures, them passing me between three people, and how I couldn't x them out as I would lose my 3 hours of work, they said that my computer would be taken away. I screamed you can't take away my computer because I can't lose all my pictures. My daughter was listening in on the whole phone call laughing. I explained to her how me staying on with them and keeping them busy helped keep them from bothering other less computer literate people. And that these were the same people who stole money from her grandmother.
----- 10 turns around
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 06 2016, @03:00PM
Hello, this is Lenny... [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Aiwendil on Saturday February 06 2016, @03:24PM
Can an AI enter into a binding contract? And can it sign one up for things?
On that matter, since you probably confirmed it was you talking initially couldn't the telemarketer argue that it signed you up in good faith if the AI agrees on something?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Francis on Saturday February 06 2016, @04:08PM
No, it's not legally binding for the same reason that EULA are not binding. It's not enough to say yes, there are other legal requirements involved that an AI wouldn't be capable of meeting.
What's more, in most cases the penalty for an illegal telemarketing call would be more than enough that you could just pay for whatever they're asking and still wind up ahead when it goes to court and they're stuck paying for the illegal call.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by mcgrew on Saturday February 06 2016, @04:03PM
I have a better method: if the number's not in my address book, I simply don't answer. If it's not a telemarketer or scammer or pollster they can leave a message and I'll call them back.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by frojack on Saturday February 06 2016, @10:22PM
And most won't leave a message, they just step to the next auto-dial number.
That is what is nice about this Jolly Rodger concept. Its more like a TCP Tar-pit [secureworks.com] than a iptables DROP.
For every telemarketer you tie up, there is one less telemarketer annoying others, and their costs rise as their productivity falls off. But if you hang up on them or send them directly to voice mail, they just move on to the next victim.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday February 09 2016, @12:47AM
My dad used to answer the phone, act interested, then lay the phone down, picking it up periodically to see if the idiot on the other end was still blabbering.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 4, Insightful) by srobert on Saturday February 06 2016, @04:43PM
I had to take several jobs as a telemarketer in the early 80's. It was typically minimum wage or worse (commission with impossibly unrealistic sales targets). I'm as annoyed as anyone when telemarketers call me. But the person on the other end of the phone conversation isn't the right target for retaliation. They're as much a victim of bad economics as anyone. A polite "No thank you. Good Luck on the next call." is all they get from me.
If they get too persistent, I offer them an opportunity:
I want to be removed from your calling list. But, if I'm not, then I will interpret your next call as an implicit acceptance of my offer to your company, to advertise your business to me using my telephone, at a cost of $1000/per call.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 06 2016, @05:23PM
Don't you see the point though? This keeps them tied up for so long they will effectively shut down if this gets deployed everywhere! Fuck people that take these jobs anyway, we always need more construction workers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 06 2016, @10:15PM
"Add me to your do-not-call list" is better.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 07 2016, @11:41AM
And what about all those contractors on the Death Star?
If you work for an unethical company then you are part of that unethical company. Guess what that makes telemarketers who work for them?
There are no shortage of calls recorded online that show telemarketers preying on drug-addled elderly who barely know where they are half the time. Who else has the time or inclination to waste listening to some stranger try to talk you out of your money?
What kind of person would want to do that for a living? The unethical.
Who else is going to be home at 2PM to answer the phone instead of at work? The elderly.
It should be obvious that I don't think highly of telemarketers. Its good to see that you were reincarnated as a higher life form this time.
(Score: 2) by srobert on Monday February 08 2016, @05:30PM
You can hide behind that "anonymous coward" if you want, but you are obviously Richard Stallman.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by IndigoFreak on Saturday February 06 2016, @04:54PM
I don't agree with annoying telemarketers. I worked as one, and it's a joyless job. Annoying the telemarketer on the phone is like shooting the messenger.
I also see this as a person trying to out troll a troll. It's impossible online, and it's impossible on the phone. Sure you might win that one battle with that one person. But he works in a company with hundreds of people, and that's just that one company. I would imagine there are hundreds of companies if not thousands that do this. So you are looking at trying to troll a group of thousands one at a time? Put yourself on the do not call list. Companies are allowed to contact you if you have done business with them in the past 6 months or a year, I don't recall, but don't be shocked when you still get calls. When you do get a call, tell them to remove you from their call list and just hang up. If the calls continue, take it to the FCC or the BBB.
But trying to annoy them by wasting their time will not work. Just as with spam email, they do this because its profitable. There will never be a great enough portion of people that waste enough of their time for telemarketing to cease to exist.
(Score: 3, Informative) by iwoloschin on Saturday February 06 2016, @05:23PM
The Do Not Call list? That's a joke. My cellphone has been on there for years and I still get tons of spam phone calls to it. File reports? Oh that's rich, because the FCC is actually going to read my report and take action?
The phone system is hopelessly broken. I eagerly await the day for it to finally go away and be replaced with something with builtin spam protection.
(Score: 1) by IndigoFreak on Saturday February 06 2016, @06:04PM
I'd really be interested to know what you and Francis did to get so many phone calls. I've had the same cell phone number for 15 years. I've even used it on gambling websites when texas holdem was a big thing. I get about 1 spam phone call a year.
But by all means guys, go on and try to waste their time. Maybe once you get done tackling that problem, I can loan you an ice cream bucket that you can use to lower sea levels. Makes way more sense then trying to do something legally about it.
(Score: 1) by Francis on Saturday February 06 2016, @05:34PM
That's rather ridiculous. The do not call list is a joke. And it will remain one as long as the phone companies continue to allow caller Id spoofing. I literally got a call from my own number a while back and every day i get at least a half dozen calls from random states.
And let's not forget the legal robot calls and calls not subject to the registry.
The only way to deal with it is something like this that makes your number too much of a problem for the marketers to bother with. These are psychopaths that have chosen to break the law or at very least purchase numbers they know belong to people that haven't opted in.
They made their bed, they can like in it.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 06 2016, @07:05PM
But trying to annoy them by wasting their time will not work.
Yeah attacking enemy soldiers never achieved anything. They are just following orders and doing their jobs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 06 2016, @07:07PM
No, I don't buy "it's just business don't shoot the messenger". I always go after the messenger because it it easier and much more effective. On the flip side I always stimulate the messenger as opposed to the company behind. Little trolling is very very effective same way as the most effective way to get even with an employer is to sabotage the plumbing repeatedly. They can not screw us without our cooperation. We are much more numerous and smarter.
(Score: 2) by naubol on Saturday February 06 2016, @07:37PM
If you read the links, you will see the inventor is trying to scale the process up by getting thousands of users in order to dilute the profit significantly.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 06 2016, @08:06PM
If we collectively stopped accepting these jobs, telemarkting would die. Or it would remain but be paid well enough.
If you work in a call center, you're part of the problem.
(Score: 2) by quixote on Saturday February 06 2016, @09:57PM
Yeah. Much as I hate telemarketing, I feel kind of sorry for the poor drones working their way through college or kids or whoknowswhatall. Being at the other end of that phone is a horrible job, turnover is high, so fairly often it's the only available job for poor schmoes with no other choices.
What amazes me is that I have never met or heard of anyone who answered one of these calls by saying, "Ooh, yes, tell me more." And then bought whatever it is. And yet it must happen often enough to make it profitable! I don't get it.
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Saturday February 06 2016, @06:54PM
a) have fax machine on my DSL line.
b) I have truecaller on my phone.
c) add all spam calls to a contact "SPAM", so you don't accidentally pick up, and then share with your friend!
I find a) to be pleasing, b) to be quite effective c) to be portable, and surprisingly effective.
Not sure how legal it is to robocall them back?