Microsoft has just nabbed a patent for a technology called Legal Intercept that would allow it to intercept, monitor and record VoIP calls.
It submitted the patent back in 2009 but it’s only just been granted and looks rather more intriguing since it purchased Skype back in May…
There has been speculation for years about a Skype backdoor to allow governments to listen in but the Legal Intercept patent would make that far easier to achive. It makes provision for a recording agent to silently record communication.
Microsoft notes in the document that current tools for monitoring traditional phone calls do not work for VoIP calls. However, despite speculation about the patent’s potential effect on Skype, there’s no solid proof that Microsoft plans to put it into practice. If it did, would you have less confidence in making calls via the web?
Out TBC | £TBC | Skype (via Computer World)
