A Huge win for Voter #Privacy by the @GOP as the GOP launches 40PhoneCalls.com with caller ID protections built in - congrats @gentrycollins

Today the GOP via the RNC launched an ambitious new program that they are calling 40PhoneCalls.com

Here is a good overview of the program at TechPresident with a good video by RNC Political Director Gentry Collins announcing the launch of the GOP's new Call from Home tool.

While the technology is not particularly leading edge, I am impressed with the fact that the application does something that the Democrats are not doing.

Protecting both the volunteer's phone number from caller ID as well as hiding the voter's phone number from being seen by the volunteer.

What do I mean? Well, see for your self in the screen shot below.   

The sequence to sign up is this:

Register your account at 40PhoneCalls.comConfirm your callback phone number with a special code on the screen you need to enter once the system calls your home or cell number

Start calling votersWhat is different from previous systems is that the caller ID of the volunteer phone call is not the volunteer's home phone number, but that if the State level GOP information line. Calling into Virginia? The caller ID will be from the VA state GOP party. Very nifty and very cool. That way if someone calls back the number they don't call you the volunteer at home, but they call the State GOP party. 

I personally remember doing calling from home in the 04 and 06 elections and I would get all sorts of random calls at my home from voters in Ohio and PA because I had called and my home phone number was on the voter's caller ID. They would call me and be perplexed and sometimes angry. This new system stops that from occurring. I call, they call the State GOP.

Another big difference is that because this is a call back system, the volunteer never sees the voter's actual phone number at all. Since the system is dialing for you (the volunteer) there is no reason to display the phone number, ever.

I'd call this a big privacy win for GOP voters.

Now, about those robocalls !

One criticism is that the system does not offer a "remove me from your call list' option as a resolution code for the volunteer to enter once the call is over. What if a voter says "stop calling me!" There is no way to record that demand.

Screen Shots:

1 - The top of the application screen. Note that I only see the voter's name, not their phone number.



Screen shot 2 - The resolution codes. Note there is no way to "opt out" and be placed on a do not call list.