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VoIP Becomes Less Secure from Wiretapping

August 14, 2005

According to my brother, GMA would have been better off using Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) when calling Commr. Garcillano because VoIP  calls can be encrypted and are therefore more secure.  Well, the Electronic Frontier Foundation reports that the Federal Communications Commission just issued rules expanding the scope of the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) to cover broadband Internet communications.  The CALEA is a US statute that directs telephone equipment manufacturers to make their hardware easy to tap.  Expanding the law to broadband Internet means, that even encrypted VoIP calls can be tapped into very easily (after they get a warrant, of course). 

So, what Joel said may no longer be true in the near future. As they say, the only thing standing between the government and your privacy is a judge.

UPDATE:  Wired reports that a legal challenge to the FCC rules is likely.

Posted by JJ Disini at 7:23 am | permalink | comments[1]