Originally published May 5 2005
VoIP technology cuts phone bills, but remains relatively untested
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Many people are getting rid of their cell phones in favor of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This technology allows users to place phone calls over the internet with no long distance charges, and often costs as little as half of a normal cell phone bill. Though the technology is convenient, it still has kinks. Not all VoIP services can connect to local 911 call centers, and many critics are concerned that, since phone calls are converted to digital information packets, conversations may be vulnerable to hackers seeking to commit identity theft. Many VoIP advocates, though, say that the benefits of a cheap phone and free long distance service outweigh the risks.
Dear Reader: Alexander Graham Bell's invention didn't change fundamentally for 120 years.
Then came the Internet, which allowed phone calls to travel more cheaply and efficiently as data packets.
"Since it's all brand new, there are always unexpected things, things you never would have dreamed would be a problem," Stevens said.
Cheap as they may be, Internet-based phones carry risks not encountered with conventional landline and cell phone services.
"Just think about how often your home Internet connection goes down as compared with your conventional home telephone system, which almost never goes down," said Rick Kuhn, a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which recently published a study warning of such dangers.
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, phones break voice signals into small data packets that travel the Internet just like e-mail or Web pages.
But unlike conventional phone calls, which carried over dedicated circuits, data packets can traverse several networks and devices before getting reassembled into sound at the destination.
"There are so many moving parts involved, and each of those individual devices has to be functioning at a 100 percent level," said Gerhard Eschelbeck, chief technology officer at security vendor Qualys Inc.
Johannes Ullrich, chief technology officer at the SANS Institute's Internet Storm Center, says the complexity introduces more points of attack, from the Windows computers that run software for some phones to the routers where traffic gets handed off from one network to another.
As for reliability, phone providers are still trying to make their systems fully compatible with 911.
Many customers see VoIP only in terms of costs and convenience, and the group will try to raise awareness about security, said its chairman, David Endler.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml