New Legal Eavesdropping Tech Will Allow Governments To Listen To VOIP Conversations

It has been reported by Slate Magazine  that a California businessman called Dennis Chang has obtained a patent for a new legal intercept technology which will be able to allow Government agencies to silently eavesdrop on the VOIP conversations of people whom they suspect of wrongdoing.

VOIP or Voice Over Internet Protocol has been the major factor behind the success of Internet calling applications like Skype, Nimbuzz and others. Even though the protocol makes voice communication in any part of the world extremely easy and cost-effective, it has its downsides for Government agencies because of the difficulty they face in intercepting these conversations. Applications using VoIP convert analog sounds into digital ones and transfer them over the Internet by the means of packets. These packets are then decoded by the receiver and the sounds can be accessed. All this happens in real-time and that is how we are able to talk and listen to people around the world instantly.

Chang is the President of a Skype-like service called VoIP-PAL and claims that his new patent will help Government agencies to do away with the complex problems with intercepting VoIP and give them a easier and legal way to intercept Internet call traffic. Basically his patent will allow Agencies to match username and billing data of a user to their real name. This can also be applied to pure data streams in addition to voice. There is a way to bypass this and that is use false credentials and IP blocking software. That being so, the patent is supposed to solve many problems faced by Governments around the world, who view VoIP as a security threat. You can take a look at the patent here.

These days, Governments all over the world are wary of the growth of the Internet and associated communication channels because of the security problems they pose. Even though Chang claims that his patent will allow ‘legal interception’, this is a massive threat to the Internet freedom of individuals. Legal interception has the potential to get out of hand and there is always that undying question of ‘who watches the watchmen?’

What is your take on this development? Share it with us in the comments. 

Image Source | Meship

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