In the early 2000s, blind people began installing an exciting new piece of software on their mobile phones. It was a screenreader, similar to that which they had been using for a number of years on their computers. It enabled them to make use of more of the features on their phones. They could join their sighted friends, colleagues and relations in the sending and receiving of text messages. As technology developed, they could also keep up with their emails and diaries. And of course, like all sighted people, they could allow their memories to atrophy by storing all necessary, and probably some unnecessary numbers, in their phones, rather than in their heads.

It was all very exciting. Although the software was often an additional cost when buying the phone, it was worth it. No special gadgets that looked, felt and sounded as though they had been designed with the blind in mind. Just some software installed onto the latest Nokia phone, and blind people felt that they had technological equality with their sighted peers. Then came the smartphone, with appropriate software already installed on it as a matter of course. True technological parity.

But the most exciting thing of all, was having access to the “caller ID” feature. Blind people too could determine whether a call was important enough to justify interrupting a meeting, or greet their caller by name, or simply avail themselves of the right not to be bothered to speak to a given individual. No more having to say, “I can’t talk now, I’m in a meeting”. No more uncertainty when the phone rang. No more sinking feeling on answering the phone to discover that the caller was the person one least wished to speak to. It was all a thing of the past. For everyone. Only that wasn’t, and indeed, isn’t true.

Unfortunately, we have the phenomenon of the withheld number. I’am writing this paragraph at 07:46, and already, I have received two calls from a withheld number – at 06:43 and 07:21 this morning. I say “from a withheld number”, but of course there is nothing to say that two different numbers were not available to me. Although on both occasions, the caller or callers would have reached my voicemail, on neither occasion was a message left.

I’m rather afraid that I struggle to find a convincing justification for anyone being able to withhold their number. People argue that it protects their privacy, and prevents them from receiving nuisance calls. But not knowing who is calling can be a problem. Victims of stalkers, for example, shouldn’t have to receive anonymous calls. Utility companies, banks and government agencies often withhold their numbers, so get ignored.

The facility to withhold numbers should be withdrawn. The stalked should be unmolested. Banks, utility companies and government agencies shouldn’t hide the fact that that is they who are calling. Life would then have one of its many stresses removed.