Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Illegal Internet Phone
So you know that lovely conversation that you just had with you best friend over Skype a couple minutes ago? Well, if you were in Ethiopia, the internet phone call would probably have cost you a very uncomfortable 15 years in prison. You read that right, 15 years in jail. Earlier this year, Ethiopia criminalized the use of VoIP for commercial
use. Lawmakers are suggesting a penalty of up to 15 years of jail time
for violators. Unfortunately, Ethiopia isn’t the only country that’s
cracking down on internet call services. Kuwait, Oman, Belize and the
UAE have all, at one time or another, banned VoIP. The officials in those countries say that it is about national security but that statement is as transparent as it gets. They are really protecting the phone companies which bring in a large percentage on the countries revenue. I guess the question is if it is right to make laws restricting VoIP calls. What happened to "the internet for everyone everywhere"?
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I use internet phones all the time. It saves me a lot of time and I get to see the person I am talking with.
ReplyDeleteI love to use video conferencing. Talking face to face with clients is so beneficial.
ReplyDeleteThe phone services like call forwarding and vanity toll free numbers are a good idea fr any business to have.
ReplyDeleteWith video conferencing, it is great being able to see the other person. Isn't there any software development that can get around those laws?
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