A method and an apparatus for protecting call privacy allow a calling party to control the privacy of a telephone call by selecting (84) among a group of privacy options that represent varying degrees of privacy and enforcing (92) the selected privacy options during the call. The privacy options selected for the call limit the ability of a called party to manipulate the call. For example, the privacy options may prevent the called party from forwarding the call, transferring the call, conferencing the call, and/or listening to the call via a hands-free speakerphone. In an additional aspect of the invention, the selected privacy options are transferred (94) to any voicemail messages that are generated as a result of the call made by the calling party. The preferred call privacy system is implemented in a packet-based network (40) that carries voice and data.