As Internet usage has increased rapidly in recent years, a number of personal privacy issues have been raised. VoIP is no exception to this, as it is an Internet-based technology. This article will discuss some of the issues involved as they relate to VoIP.

Most Internet users today are probably aware that their un-encrypted email messages are somewhat vulnerable to being intercepted and read by third parties. This was given little thought by most users in the early days of the Internet. It was not until email became the primary vehicle used by hackers to spread viruses that most people became concerned with this issue. In response to this, ISPs and software makers began offering solutions to make sure that email remains relatively virus free.

Although this could probably still be considered the early days of VoIP, the two technologies are not quite the same. They both travel over the Internet, but in a different manner. One of the things that makes email especially vulnerable is that it is stored and forwarded by servers that are connected to the Internet. Since messages are stored for some period of time until deleted, the potential ability to access them is increased.

On the other hand, voice calls carried via VoIP are only temporary in nature, they are not stored and backed up as email messages are. This means that anyone wishing to intercept a voice call made with VoIP would have to do so while the call is in process. (The exception to this would be voice mail messages, which are stored in the form of a file.) This means that as far as interception is concerned, VoIP calls are similar to regular telephone calls - they are temporary in nature.

It is possible to intercept VoIP calls as they travel over the Internet. But neither the technology nor the knowledge needed to do this is widely available. It is at least as difficult for someone to do this as it is for someone to penetrate the regular telephone network from a distance and monitor calls - and this is quite difficult. So the fact remains that anyone wishing to “snoop” on your VoIP calls would probably resort to the same method they would use for a regular analog telephone call - They would place some type of “bug” in or near your actual telephone or attached to the telephone wires as they enter your residence.

There is concern about this issue in the VoIP community, however. The solution to any concerns about vulnerability will probably be the same solution that has been presented for email. This solution is to encrypt VoIP calls so that if they are intercepted they are unintelligible. Encryption software is widely available for email and files that are sent over the Internet. This same type of software is being developed by VoIP hardware and software manufacturers. In fact, some VoIP providers have already incorporated encryption capability into their ATAs and softphones.

If you are using VoIP in the United States, then you should be aware of the fact that VoIP is still a “grey” area as far as Federal wire-tapping and regulatory laws are concerned. This is due to the fact that the FCC and the courts have not decided on whether or not VoIP should be classified as a “communications service” or as an “information service”.

The laws governing these two classes are different. In particular, if VoIP is classified as a “communications service”, then VoIP providers will be required to provide the FBI and other government agencies with some way to perform wiretaps. As of now, VoIP is still being considered as an “information service”, and VoIP providers are not required to do this.

So what precautions should you take if you are concerned about personal privacy when using VoIP? Probably the most important one would be not to leave sensitive information in voice mail messages. These will reside on a server somewhere, possibly for an extended length of time and would therefore be more vulnerable than a regular voice call. You should also ask your potential VoIP provider about their encryption capabilities. As previously mentioned, encryption hardware and software is already available from some providers. Past these precautions, you should be just as careful with information such as your birthday, social security number and credit card numbers as you are with any other means of communications.

Personal privacy concerns should not stand in the way of your taking advantage of the features and cost savings available with VoIP. If you do have concerns in this area, rest assured that VoIP providers are hard at work staying “one step ahead” of any potential for abuse that exists. For more information on this subject, see the following links :

http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/VoIP_-_Privacy_Issues
http://www.epic.org/privacy/voip/
http://www.toyz.org/mrblog/archives/00000188.html
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,68306,00.html

This article "VoIP Security and Your Personal Privacy" is Copyright 2006 Compare-VoIP.net and may not be reproduced.

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