[Asterisk-Users] [Fwd: Re: [Asterisk-biz] bellster.net - GREAT advance]

[Duane]

Steven P. Donegan wrote:

> I don't want to be negative here, but I do believe people who go to do this know the potential risks they face. In many countries (4 of which I have direct, although several year old experience with - all in Asia) taking a local phone line and attaching asterisk to it and gatewaying traffic from other countries will be considered to be 'theft' by the local governments/telco's (of their long distance revenues). My experiences were all with USA<-> Asian manufacturing locations - if you did voice-over-network between the same companies offices no sweat - the moment you allowed hop-off/hop-on gatewaying you were at risk to lose your phone lines!!! 

Also these choice sound bytes from the asterisk-biz list.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [Asterisk-biz] bellster.net - GREAT advance
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 20:24:44 -0500
From: Paul <digium-list at 9ux.com>

Michael Giagnocavo wrote:

> Except law enforcement has at least some clue of what a telephone company is, and *surprise* the idea that a telephone company might not place all calls that come out of it.
> 
> However, when your normal POTS line lights up and has a death threat for someone "important", and happens to mention some other stuff... I wouldn't be surprised. Law enforcement generally LOVES the opportunity to show up with force.

Let me tell you about them showing up in force. I mentioned a former 
employee in my previous post to this thread:

" I still remember getting an automated announcement at my office when 
the collect call was from the county jail. I promptly hung up and 
revoked all phone access for a certain employee."


That same employee was at a party with her doper friends and told people 
that she was going to shoot the officer that put her drug-dealing 
boyfriend in jail. She went on to say that her boss(meaning me) would 
buy the gun for her. As usual, there was a police informant there to 
hear all this. So 4 big bad undercover narcotics cops from 3 different 
agencies show up together at my office to check the story out. The whole 
thing was news to me but I did manage to settle them down without 
getting beat up.

If you want to get them to your house sooner it probably helps to 
threaten them, their associates and their families. You can also try 
threatening judges, parole officers, prosecutors and any informants that 
actually deliver reliable information. If I ever caught someone using my 
telephone to make such calls I would want to quickly tie them up outside 
with a telephone super-glued to their face before the police arrived. 
That might at least minimize the damage to my own health and property. 
So just imagine what will happen if you set up a bellster node and some 
recently-paroled convict uses it to make such calls. Company's coming


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [Asterisk-biz] bellster.net - GREAT advance
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 19:59:01 -0600
From: Michael Giagnocavo <mgg-digium at atrevido.net>


Well John, you've had good experiences and still trust them. They should 
be honoured to have citizens like you. Meanwhile, many others have had 
other "real" experiences. And while *eventually* you might explain your 
situation and be let off, that doesn’t mean you won't have to deal with 
visits from cops, or even confiscation (right about after you say "my 
computer did it").

Personally, Bellster is zero benefit to me, as my local calls cost more 
than what I get from our VoIP carrier. I suppose to save a few bucks 
here and there it could potentially be worth it for some people.

-Michael


-- 

Best regards,
  Duane

http://www.cacert.org - Free Security Certificates
http://www.nodedb.com - Think globally, network locally
http://www.sydneywireless.com - Telecommunications Freedom
http://happysnapper.com.au - Sell your photos over the net!
http://e164.org - Using Enum.164 to interconnect asterisk servers

"I do not try to dance better than anyone else.
     I only try to dance better than myself."