Create disposable telephone numbers for the iPhone with Burner

[Video Link] Burner is an iPhone application that lets you generate temporary phone numbers. This would come in handy, for example, if you are selling something on Craigslist, and you don't want to give out your permanent telephone number. The app costs $1.99, which gives you a "burner" number that's valid for 7 days, 20 talk minutes, or 60 texts, whichever comes first. You can buy additional credits in the app.

Burner - Disposable Phone Numbers

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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The Snowden Principle

http://twitter.com/MrAaronSwainEsq Aaron Swain

…created by kidnappers for kidnappers!
- n0mad13
  
  I can’t imagine that this isn’t just as traceable as using a regular number. After all, the phone is still using the same SIM, isn’t it? I suppose it does make it easier to behave like a creep, but generally speaking, I think that a piece of software that does nothing more than make it slightly less logistically challenging to be a stalker isn’t going to lead to a massive surge in the number of masturbating mouth-breathers lurking in the bushes.
Xof

“Domain of drug dealers / hookers” moral panic coming in 3… 2…
mobobo

stalkers and recruitment consultants rejoice
http://www.facebook.com/vektek Ron Foster

This would be great for tech conventions. So you will not get hammered by vendors
http://www.facebook.com/thomasrylander Thomas Rylander

McNulty is already on to us. time to get back on the beepers.
redstarr

It’d be awesome for single people,too. When you meet someone that you seem to hit it off with and are interested enough in to want to get in touch with them again later, but aren’t really sure enough to really want to give them your permanent primary number, you could just give them the burner number. That number would work long enough for you to get to know them better, see how it goes, and if they turn out to be cool, you can give them your real number before the burner expires . If things don’t work out, no worries, they’ll be out of your hair for good as soon as the number expires. It wouldn’t be a help for the ones that you date a while and then things go bad and they won’t let it go, but it’d be awesome for the one date disasters.
http://www.jimdraws.com Thorzdad

“This would come in handy, for example, if you are selling something on Craigslist, and you don’t want to give out your permanent telephone number.”

Isn’t this what Google Voice is for? And that’s a free number, too.
http://avarana.blogspot.com MarlboroTestMonkey7

Two words: casual sex
redstarr

It’d be cool for when you want to give an unfamiliar company you’re doing business with a working number to get in touch with you if they NEED to, but you don’t want to give them your real number. Then they could call you if they’ve got a problem with your order, but won’t be able to be all spammy forever. If the company turns out to be cool about only calling when you’d really want them to and they turn out to be something you order from again, you can just update your account with your real number for next time.
http://www.microcar.org microcars

now I have a crick in my neck
Gilbert Wham

Dual-sim phone from china, half the price of an HTC, just as good, SIM from corner shop, 99p.
brandonmwest

Cut out the middle man and roll your own solution directly with http://www.twilio.com
greenberger

This is awesome- more tools for humanity to hide behind! I can’t wait to sell some phony concert tickets on craigslist now….
Crispy King

is there anything like this for android ?
http://profile.yahoo.com/RGN3OEIVCXQZUMZ2ZCGYEILAQQ Greg O'Brien

Michael Westen will be all over this. So will Fiona.