It's enough to make the most gregarious gabber think twice before picking up the phone again. What if the record of all your personal calls--whom you're talking to, when and for how long--were being sold to the highest bidder, by none other than your very own telephone company? Every time you dial up your shrink for a quick calm-me-down, for instance, that history could be sold to a pharmaceutical firm ready to pitch you on the benefits of tranquilizers.
A telemarketing nightmare, perhaps. But if a recent federal court decision is any guide, that kind of invasion of privacy could...