Fergie's Tech Blog

Wiretap Rules Split VoIP

And speaking of VoIP.....

Via Red Herring.

The VoIP community could be on the verge of a major split as the U.S. government continues to sort out whether companies such as Skype and vehicles such as GoogleTalk are subject to wiretapping rules recently announced by the Federal Communications Commission.

Earlier this month, the FCC said that VoIP providers must be prepared to accommodate law enforcement wiretaps, which are covered by the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA).

The commission limited the requirement to “facilities-based broadband Internet access service providers and VoIP providers that offer services permitting users to receive calls from, and place calls to, the public switched telephone network (PSTN).”

That, on the surface, exempts peer-to-peer architectures, including Skype’s main product, and instant messaging products such as GoogleTalk. But law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency are reportedly up in arms over any such technical exemptions.

posted by Fergie @ 8/26/2005 10:33:00 AM