IP: "Incompatible software" blamed for phone-book fiasco : Risks Digest 20.90

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2000 11:39:08 PDT
> From: "Peter G. Neumann" <neumann () csl sri com>
> Subject: "Incompatible software" blamed for phone-book fiasco
>
> Pacific Bell has apparently printed 400,000 new phone books that include
> names, phone numbers, and addresses of telephone customers who are supposed
> to be unlisted.  The California state public utilities commission has
> granted a request from Cox Communications for a restraining order against
> Pac*Bell.  Incompatible software is blamed, but perhaps it was human error
> in forgetting to remove the protected fields from a retrieval request?
> Perhaps one of our RISKS-reading insiders can enlighten us.