[Cryptography] Creepy correlation noted

[Henry Baker]

While this note doesn't discuss encryption, per se, perhaps there is some encryption technique that could be used to solve this type of surveillance.

I've been noticing a creepy correlation between *spam phone calls* on my wireline phone and my working at my home computer.

No, I don't believe I've been hacked, unless you consider surveillance by your own ISP to be hacking.

I think that my ISP is noticing when my Internet connection is active, and selling that information to 3rd parties who utilize this information make spam calls (among other violations of my privacy).  My ISP doesn't have to decrypt my Internet connection to know that it is active; it just notices the activity.

I've noticed this because I don't receive such junk calls on my answering machine when I'm not at home working on my computer.

I suppose that I should run some Linux 'cron' tests to check out this theory.  This would get me such spam calls when cron runs, even when I'm not home.

But what I'm really after is the reverse -- if I have to get such spam calls (I'm already on the do not call registry -- what a joke that is!), then I'd rather they go to voice mail when I'm NOT here.

Any ideas?