Re: VOIP (was: Since we were speaking of Gmail....)

On 2/8/06, Walden H. Leverich <WaldenL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> >...only a wired landline phone
>
> Don't take this the wrong way, but that logic always cracked me up. You
> know that I can walk to the patch panel down the street from your house
> w/a $10 phone from home depot and listen to any land-line conversation,
> right? Given that digital cell phones calls (we're all digital these
> days, no?) are encrypted, plus, hooking into a data stream isn't the
> easiest thing in the world, I'd say a good-old analog land-line is
> probably the least secure method of communication these days.


No offense taken, Walden.  Always open to correct flaws in my knowledge,
especially as it concerns false security.

How accessible is that patch panel, though?  I guess I should take a look on
my way home tonight, but I would imagine it's got a lock on it.  If
someone's got a way to break into it, unnoticed, and enough time to wait
until I make such a call, well, I probably have more problems than worrying
about my cc#'s.

I am surprised to read that "digital cell phone calls are encrypted".  Is
this by default?  Are all "contents" of a cell call transmission encrypted?
I.e. voice, data/buttons?  If so, I'm surprised I haven't heard of it
before.  If you have any links or other sources that describe this in more
detail, I'd love to see it.

- Dan