Last week I spoke at O'Reilly's Emerging Telephony (ETEL) conference about CALEA and other telecom regulations that are coming to VoIP. CALEA is a law requiring telecom equipment to have digital wiretap hooks, so police (with a warrant, in theory) can come and request a user's audio streams. It's their attempt to bring alligator clips into the digital world.

Recently the FCC issued notice that they would apply CALEA to interconnected VoIP providers and broadband providers. They don't have that power, and the EFF and several other groups filed suit last week to block this order.

In my talk, however, I decided to turn the tables. My "evil twin" gave a talk addressed at incumbent carriers (the Bells, etc.) and big equipment vendors as to why they should love CALEA, Universal Service and the E911 regulations.

A podcaster recorded it and here's the blue box security podcast with that recording or you can go directly to the mp3 of my talk. I start 3 minutes into the recording, and it's a 15 minute session. It was well received, at least based on the bloggers who covered it. You may not hear the audience laughter too well, but they got it, and came to understand just how bad these laws can be for the small innovator moving in on the incumbent's cash cows.

Indeed, I like the "evil twin" so much that he'll be back, and I'll try to write up my talk as text some day if I get the time. When bad things happen, it's useful to understand why some people might push for them.

A more muffled version including audience can be found via Skype Journal.