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VOIP Progress To Be Hobbled By Wiretap Costs?

Posted by Hemos on from the changing-the-base-level-assumptions dept.

vaporland writes "This article @ nytimes.com talks about the reasons that development of commercial VOIP may be stifled by the costs required to allow the federal government to listen in on conversations. It is the intention of the FBI, et al, to provide a truly unfunded mandate to force VOIP service providers to develop and provide this wiretap access to them at no cost to the U.S. government, which is to say, the consumer of VOIP will foot the bill for allowing the government to listen in on our phone calls. Perhaps they should just hire some script kiddies to show them how to do it on the cheap?"

4 of 392 comments (clear)

  1. Script Tix are for Kids by slashnutt · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The PGP Phone Project is dead now but it would be great of GPGP would revive it. The script kiddes would have a much tougher time cracking this and this is why the goverment is wanting a little help.

  2. Re:Better idea.. by ifdef · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In that case, it won't be long at all before the use of encryption becomes illegal. Simply using encryption will be a enough to put you behind bars, regardless of what you are encrypting.

    That's how a police state works.

  3. Re:I forgot... by Sanity · · Score: 5, Interesting
    When did it become the duty of a government to spy on its own citizens and force them to pay for the privelege of being spied on?
    Since the constitution went from being a list of things the government can do to a list of the things it can't.
  4. I don't get it. by pclminion · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Why do you people complain about this, but not about traditional wiretaps on traditional phones? You seem to think the government is eager to listen to your communications, yet the vast majority of people continue to use the telephone system regardless. Are you being purposefully inconsistent, or just stupid?

    Are you trying to say the government should never be allowed to eavesdrop on criminal communications even with a warrant?! I can't distinguish between that and anarchy. Can somebody please help me?