Microsoft Builds VOIP Intercept Tool at Right Time
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As
intriguing as it might be to think that there was a long secret plan to become
a phone company, it's more likely the real reason was to provide a management
capability for its existing VOIP products. Microsoft customers with Office
Communicator have long been able to tie the product into the office phone
systems and manage a VOIP network. On a more consumer level, Microsoft Live
Messenger has been able to carry VOIP traffic for years.
It's
likely that Microsoft discovered how to monitor these calls during the
development of these or some similar products and-suspecting that the day may
arrive when such phone tapping becomes a legal requirement-patented the
technology. In this case, the requirement turned out to be important at just
the right time. While it's possible that the company was prescient when it
developed its "Legal Intercept" technology it's more likely a fortuitous
accident.
One
of these days, the DHS is going to come calling, warrant in hand, and want to
monitor a Skype conversation. Because Microsoft will now be legally obligated
to provide the monitoring service, it will be able to meet the government's
requirement. Even better from Microsoft's perspective is that all of those
other VOIP carriers out there will no longer have a reason not to provide
access-they just have to get a copy of the Microsoft monitoring product.
I'll
skip past the civil liberty discussion here. The government has been able to
monitor wired conversations for decades. Government agencies have been able to
monitor cell phone calls for years. Now it's VOIP's turn. While you may not
like this, it was your representatives who passed the Patriot Act and the
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act. If you don't like this
capability, talk to them or vote for somebody else next time.
The
fact is that the government has had this requirement for some time, and now it
can be enforced on VOIP conversations. Like it or not, Microsoft found a way to
do it, which will make compliance with these laws easier and cheaper for phone
providers than it used to be. Some people may not consider this a good thing,
but now there's a way to do it. Maybe the DHS will catch a terrorist this way
and make everyone else a believer.
Wayne Rash is a Senior Analyst for eWEEK Labs and runs the magazineÃÃÃs Washington Bureau. Prior to joining eWEEK as a Senior Writer on wireless technology, he was a Senior Contributing Editor and previously a Senior Analyst in the InfoWorld Test Center. He was also a reviewer for Federal Computer Week and Information Security Magazine. Previously, he ran the reviews and events departments at CMP's InternetWeek.He is a retired naval officer, a former principal at American Management Systems and a long-time columnist for Byte Magazine. He is a regular contributor to Plane & Pilot Magazine and The Washington Post.
