Internet Phone Calls

While it is beyond debate that Internet telephony and Internet Phone Calls have come as a great cost-saving means of communication, certain grey areas still remain with respect to its usage in the USA as well as in the international arena.

Perhaps the most debated issue, with respect to Internet telephony and the privacy rights of the US citizens, pertains to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Normally, the National Security Agency (NSA) cannot legally tap telephonic conversations of American citizens without a specific warrant which allows it to do so. However, calls made over the Internet or VoIP cannot be clearly traced to a particular individual's geographical location as well as that of a fixed copper wire telephone line. As an increasing number of entities (both individual and corporate) adopt Internet Phone Calls, the thin line between the citizen's privacy and the NSA's justification to snoop will become hazier. Since it is difficult to determine the exact geographical location of the caller/receiver at the time of interception of communication, VoIP has brought in the requirement for an entirely new set of laws with respect to intercepting and monitoring communication.

To be fair to the NSA, this new system of borderless untraceable communication is being greatly misused by a number of organizations which may pose a threat to public safety. The agency's paranoid behavior with respect to VoIP calls is thus largely understandable. Internet Phone Calls routed through the Internet can at most be traced to certain IP addresses. But as many operators provide variable addresses to the same geographical location depending on the service required, and as VoIP service can be accessed from any geographical location with an Internet connection, it is virtually impossible to trace a caller, especially if the usage is not frequent, predictable and continuous.

The other most debated contentious issue is the commonly advertised free online calls. It is important to remember here that while Internet Phone Calls are not chargeable as a separate bill as in most other utility services, the internet bill naturally reflects the usage expenses. If more data is transferred/received, the bill goes up. However, even at these rates, VoIP provides a more economic option compared to other communication channels.

Many countries, especially in the developing world, have restricted the growth of Internet telephony by legislation. For example, in Panama, VoIP is taxed, whereas in Guyana it is prohibited. Even in a developing country such as India, retail sales for commercial purposes are allowed only in long distance services. In Ethiopia, strangely, it is actually a criminal offense to offer services using VoIP. Likewise, in the UAE, Internet Phone Calls are illegal and some popular service providers are entirely blocked from beaming into the country.