[Asterisk-Users] more dids added to goiax.com

[trixter aka Bret McDanel]

On Wed, 2005-10-19 at 07:09 -0400, Steve Totaro wrote:
> Or even use it?  What is the point of having a DID that changes all the
> time?
> 

When I was younger this type of thing would have been just what my
friends would have wanted.  The ability to have a temporary disposable
anonymous number for call details pulled from various, albiet stupid,
telephone companies.

Now ebay scams are a bigger threat for this type of DID.  Someone gets
one to look like a legit seller, and even is 'tracable' as a seller.
Most people think that a person is 100% tracable if they have their
phone number, they only have to call the cops and give the number to
them.  goiax proves that wrong, as do prepaid mobile phones where cash
was the only thing used.  I know about the patent case where prepaid
mobile service is patented in the US and now illegal to do without
paying the $0.0025/min tax to the patent holder, but there has to be a
way around that and given the financial risks cingular (go phone),
tmobile, sprint-nextel (boost) and others are facing they will find it
rather than give up prepaid all together.

Scammers will use any means possible to get what they want, and
disposable DIDs are a tool they can use and just walk away from leaving
virtually no trace of who they really are (think war driving coupled
with illegal access to open networks found coupled with disposable free
DIDs).

> > Perhaps expand the registration process to include name, address and
> > another phone number?
> 
> And this would accomplish what?  I have many aliases that I use on websites
> if I suspect SPAM or just dont feel like giving my details.
> 

Not to mention the cost of verification of all of that information.
That would make goiax a headache for anyone who operates it (and right
now I think its just matthew).  Information is useless unless verified.

> > Don't make everyones life too complicated simply to discourage a (
> > hopefully ) small number of abusers.
> 
> If you think your life will be too complicated because you have to jump
> through a couple hoops to use a FREE service, just think what happens when
> someone files a complaint with the authorities because the owner's circuit
> was used to call in threats.  Better yet, a terror threat and Homeland
> Security swoops in with all the powers of the Patriot Act.
> 

Look at the pranks that have occured to PSAPs in the past few years.
There have been many news stories about swat teams being deployed
because of a prank to the PSAP (usually through the direct dial not
911).  


> Mathew, don't be too generous here.  Protect yourself FIRST.  In all
> reality, if I wanted to contact a sleeper cell in the US and not be worried
> about Echelon or Carnivore, I would use your service through a proxy or a
> pay cash at an internet cafe.  The number of abusers is not the issue, it
> only takes one to cause some real nightmares.
> 

You could never stop something like that.  If it were to coordinate an
attack you wouldnt always know who was going to place the call
beforehand.  Those types are typically better funded anyway, they could
at least spring for a $5 prepaid calling card and a public phone, or a
mobile or ...  quite often they seem to prefer mobiles as it gives them
the ability to choose where they speak from, with voip you are limited
to places where there is internet.  No phone provider, free or otherwise
has ever been charged because, unknown to them, someone used the system
for illegal purposes, it wont start now.

I would be more concerned with someone using it for telemarketing
purposes or for resale.  That would seem to drive the minute usage up
faster and create more havok.


> Maybe you should even consider recording calls for your own protection.
> Just play message to both the caller and the callee to inform them of the
> recording.
> 

The storage capacity needed, extra cpu requirements, and fact that it
would drive people away from using it would be a problem there.  Phone
companies arent required to record 'just in case', and I wouldnt want
the legal liability of having those recordings.  What happens when there
is a divorce or something?  The recordings get subpoenaed.  There would
be a large volume of people asking for those recordings, and having them
creates a liability to produce them (often at your own cost).


-- 
Trixter http://www.0xdecafbad.com     Bret McDanel
UK +44 870 340 4605   Germany +49 801 777 555 3402
US +1 360 207 0479 or +1 516 687 5200
FreeWorldDialup: 635378
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