Browse Definitions :
Definition

disposable phone number

A disposable phone number is a virtual phone number that is usable temporarily.

The temporary number is purchased from a service provider. Calls to that number are forwarded to the user’s existing phone. This is usually accomplished through a smartphone app or through an online call forwarding service. The number is usually functional until a specified date, although the customer has the option of disabling it earlier.

People use disposable phone numbers for situations in which they don’t want to give out their permanent numbers. For example, a disposable number allows a seller on Craigslist to stop service to a phone number once the item that was advertised has been purchased. For online dating and other situations in which people are contacting strangers, disposable numbers can help maintain mobile privacy and security.

mobile number privacy has become increasingly important as smartphones and the systems they interact with, such as Mobile apps, have proliferated. Cellphone numbers are increasingly being used as unique identifiers, connecting user data across multiple databases, which also contain other user data. People's cellphone numbers are used similarly to social security numbers but are not subject to the same legal requirements for privacy. The use of disposable phone numbers is one way to protect your primary cellphone number from unwanted access.

Disposable phone numbers can be thought of as a digital version of the burner phone; the service is sometimes referred to as a burner phone account.

This was last updated in December 2016

Continue Reading About disposable phone number

Networking
  • network interface card (NIC)

    A network interface card (NIC) is a hardware component, typically a circuit board or chip, installed on a computer so it can ...

  • User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

    User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a communications protocol primarily used to establish low-latency and loss-tolerating connections...

  • Telnet

    Telnet is a network protocol used to virtually access a computer and provide a two-way, collaborative and text-based ...

Security
  • advanced persistent threat (APT)

    An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a prolonged and targeted cyber attack in which an intruder gains access to a network and ...

  • Mitre ATT&CK framework

    The Mitre ATT&CK (pronounced miter attack) framework is a free, globally accessible knowledge base that describes the latest ...

  • timing attack

    A timing attack is a type of side-channel attack that exploits the amount of time a computer process runs to gain knowledge about...

CIO
HRSoftware
  • employee resource group (ERG)

    An employee resource group is a workplace club or more formally realized affinity group organized around a shared interest or ...

  • employee training and development

    Employee training and development is a set of activities and programs designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of ...

  • employee sentiment analysis

    Employee sentiment analysis is the use of natural language processing and other AI techniques to automatically analyze employee ...

Customer Experience
  • customer profiling

    Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by ...

  • customer insight (consumer insight)

    Customer insight, also known as consumer insight, is the understanding and interpretation of customer data, behaviors and ...

  • buyer persona

    A buyer persona is a composite representation of a specific type of customer in a market segment.

Close