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From: john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Ramparts Magazine Article: Still a Threat?
Message-ID: <13094@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 5 Oct 90 18:15:17 GMT
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Reply-To: John Higdon <john@bovine.ati.com>
Organization: Green Hills and Cows
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 716, Message 11 of 12


While I think someone mentioned that a black box is ineffective for
ESS and digital offices because an audio path is not created until the
called line supervises, no one has mentioned AT&T's defense against
muting boxes. An unsupervised AT&T call has audio in only one
direction (to the caller). This is one reason for the sudden
appearance of automated referral machines. A conversation with an
intercept operator is impossible unless the far end supervises.


        John Higdon         |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 723 1395
    john@bovine.ati.com     | San Jose, CA 95150 |       M o o !


[Moderator's Note: Have you noticed how, on the rare occassions when
one gets a live intercept operator somewhere that callers via most
OCC's can't speak with the operaor to answer the question 'what number
did you dial?'. The operator will then invariably play a recorded
message to you which says "under some circumstances, customers of
other long distance companies may not be able to speak with the local
telephone company operator. Please dial your long distance operator
for assistance."  PAT]