Skype

[Big Calhoun]

Does anyone here use it? I use it on my PDA and have SkypeOut credit so I can make calls to regular phones with my Treo. The crazy thing is that is that it's just some random number that shows up on Caller ID. Comes in very handy when making initial contacts and you don't want to reveal your number.

Also cool to just randomly call people, through Skype or on landlines. So yeah, Skype me, don't be surprised if there's a raving lunatic on the other end! :D

[eddievanzant]

I have skype but I don't use it. Why is it considered so useful?

[Big Calhoun]

Well, let's say I need to make contact with someone but don't want them to have my number. I SkypeOut to their telephone number, can still talk to them, and they don't get my number. THe only bad part is that now, instead of 0123456789 showing up on caller ID, it now shows Unknown. But that is easily overcome by getting a Caller ID spoof card. It's all about security!

[da haze meister]

ever heard of *67?
everyone uses it out here in the ghetto

[Big Calhoun]

Well, theres several beauties of VOIP that only the most sophisticated realize. Not saying that as a put down, simply, most people can't be bothered with the technology. The only reason VOIP has made the progress that it has is because companies are able to offer telephone interfaces to make the service easy to use. If it was strictly an application that you had to use from your computer, no one would be bothered by it.

One of the beauties of VOIP are that most calls are hard to trace, it really depends on the provider. With Skype, they use trunk lines to provision SkypeOut calls. 'Trunks' are basically just a big batch of telephone numbers, to put it simply. When a phone is used on a 'trunk' line, it's not the line or Central Office that generates the Caller ID information, it's the actual phone that's being used. This differs from your average home phone because your home phone is connected, more or less, directly to the CO and that what'll generate the Caller ID information.

So to give an illustration of sorts, let's say my office number is 972 555-1234 but my office is using trunk lines. When that call is placed, the phone will use the next available line, so the actual phone number assigned to that line could be 972 555-4321...The CO has no way of knowing that. Instead, it knows you're coming in from trunked service and it looks for the phone to pass the caller ID information. Technically, I could change the caller ID on my phone to be anything I wanted and it will display. But since I work for the phone company, that's kind of frowned upon. So that's basically why *67 and similar services won't work. Even a trap (call trace) on the line will only bring the police to the set of trunks. They'll still need to jump through hurdles to subpoena Skype to release who actually originated the call. The problem that you have there is that there are so many Skype users, those records probably don't go back far.

Now, the other major advantage to using VOIP, especially if you get a VOIP to VOIP call going is currently, it's illegal to wiretap those calls. The feds have been fighting it out and what VOIP calls covered under wiretap laws. The most they've been able to get so far is that they can still tap the wireline side of the call, they cannot infiltrate the data side of the call. VOIP calls aren't now considered 'telecommunications', they are considered to be a data service by the FCC. So If I were to Skype you from my PDA and you recieved the call through Skype on your computer, it cannot be wiretapped. Physically, it could, it would be illegal under current laws. Best believe the government has been working and will continue to work feverishly to change that!

Final beauty, it's cheaper when calling internationally. I think I can call Denmark for like 5 cents a minute. Through my home phone, it's about 12 cents.

[graph]

ever heard of *67?
everyone uses it out here in the ghetto
What's the difference between unknown and blocked? If you're not gonna answer your phone because you don't know the number, it's not gonna matter what the phone says.

*67 is the shit.

[Big Calhoun]

What's the difference between unknown and blocked? If you're not gonna answer your phone because you don't know the number, it's not gonna matter what the phone says.

*67 is the shit.

Unknown usually occurs in the case of trunks and WATS lines. Again, with trunks, the caller ID information is passed from the phone originating the call. So if that phone doesn't transmit that information, the Central Office really doesn't know which actual line originated the call. Most trunk lines are assigned 'fictitious' numbers which can't be dialed directly. WATS line are essentially the same, it's just a batch of numbers. However, WATS lines are strictly for outgoing calls (think of a call center).

Blocked means someone is purposely blocking their number. So the Central Office knows the line that originated the call, but the customer has activated a feature to prevent the information from being passed.

They are two different conditions and are treated differently in call processing. Now don't forget, you can get a Caller ID spoofing card. It works like those pre-paid phone cards. Basically you call a number, say what number you want passed through caller id, and then dial the actual number you want called. Telephony is a very interesting world.

[Epic]

This reminds me of phone hacking. You can do some cool shit with it.

[mike jones]

i registered a skype account a few days ago, its pretty cool shit. i was actually gonna start a thread about it until i saw that someone beat me to it. feel free to hit me up whenever!

[lateralus]

This reminds me of phone hacking. You can do some cool shit with it.Phreaking died with blueboxing. :p

Social engineering lives on.

[graph]

Unknown usually occurs in the case of trunks and WATS lines. Again, with trunks, the caller ID information is passed from the phone originating the call. So if that phone doesn't transmit that information, the Central Office really doesn't know which actual line originated the call. Most trunk lines are assigned 'fictitious' numbers which can't be dialed directly. WATS line are essentially the same, it's just a batch of numbers. However, WATS lines are strictly for outgoing calls (think of a call center).

Blocked means someone is purposely blocking their number. So the Central Office knows the line that originated the call, but the customer has activated a feature to prevent the information from being passed.

They are two different conditions and are treated differently in call processing. Now don't forget, you can get a Caller ID spoofing card. It works like those pre-paid phone cards. Basically you call a number, say what number you want passed through caller id, and then dial the actual number you want called. Telephony is a very interesting world.

But see the pizza place, who is to be the direct target in all of my phone related mischief, takes both unknown and blocked calls.

These server busy messages are starting to get to me.