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NY Times on VoIP, Skype Profile and the FBI

Posted by Hemos on from the the-next-big-thing? dept.

securitas writes "The New York Times Business section published a longish profile of P2P VoIP startup Skype, founded by the people that brought you P2P file-sharing client Kazaa. Previously the domain of geeks everywhere, this is significant if only because it seems to signal that VoIP is starting to garner mainstream consumer interest and serious business interest. The article discusses Vonage and a Daiwa Securities telecom report that says Skype 'is something to be scared of, and is probably set to become the biggest story of the year.' Critics dismiss it as hype. But Skype faces a potential court battle with the FBI. 'Because traffic over Skype is strongly encrypted and distributed over wide-ranging sources, it could hamper authorities' ability to wiretap.' An FBI spokesman says, '... it is something that we are looking into.' Of course last week's Minnesota federal court ruling that exempts VoIP from traditional telecom legislation doesn't hurt the case for VoIP. The text of the ruling is expected to be available this week. Read the previous Slashdot stories on Skype and the Vonage vs Minnesota case for some background."

2 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Whoring-free reg-free link by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Support anti-karma-whoring, click this reg-free NYT link today!

  2. Re:Wait a minute... by Malor · · Score: 3, Informative
    The article's lead-in was deliberately inflammatory. The actual quote was:

    Paul Bresson, an F.B.I. spokesman, said, "It is legal; it is a concern; and it is something that we are looking into."

    This is journalism of the caliber of talk radio; leaving out the important part "it is legal" to highlight the dreaded imminent threat. Probably helped get it chosen as a story, since putting one to the Feds is always popular in the geek crowd, but it's still irresponsible.