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From: hutch@hammer.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison)
Newsgroups: net.rumor,net.news.adm
Subject: Re: Reading other people's mail
Message-ID: <1993@hammer.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 5-May-86 15:48:55 EDT
Article-I.D.: hammer.1993
Posted: Mon May  5 15:48:55 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 10-May-86 12:32:59 EDT
References: <703@frog.UUCP> <12400018@uiucdcs> <2410@jhunix.UUCP>
Reply-To: hutch@hammer.UUCP (Stephen Hutchison)
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 28
Keywords: scrambler
Xref: linus net.rumor:1908 net.news.adm:653
Summary: telephone operators cannot listen in on conversations

>In article <117@comp.lancs.ac.uk>jam@comp.lancs.ac.uk(John A. Mariani) writes:
>>
>>
>>Now, hey, I'm pretty paranoid but I'm not talking about telephone tapping etc.
>>There may well be good reasons for the operator/telephone engineer to
>>overhear (part of) a telephone conversation (although I can't think of
>>one now!). They may have to listen in to ensure the correct functioning of
>>the telephone system (no?). I think SAs find themselves in much the same
>>situation.

About six years ago I worked for a company in California called
"Badger Meter Electronics Division" which, among other remote control
machinery, built/builds telephone test equipment.

The test consoles which were once widely used by telco operators who
were running tests on the integrity of the phone lines, all incorporated
a randomizing filter which reduced speech to a pattern of buzzing and
clicking.  It was recognizable as speech if you knew what it sounded like
but wasn't understandable at all.  The phone companies required that this
filter be added because of some government regs about phone-tapping.

Supervisors and some operators could cut in on phone calls in emergencies
but even long-distance calls from payphones were supposed to be sacred.

Naturally since I cannot point to the specific legal requirements this all
constitutes hearsay and is thus a rumor.

Hutch