7 ms·
I find it ridiculous to think that early telephone companies did not abuse the privilege their hardware gave them. Back before it could be tracked and recorded
by criley 13y ago
I find it ridiculous to think that early telephone companies did not abuse the privilege their hardware gave them.
Back before it could be tracked and recorded? When it was analog and switchboards?
Even if we had strict regulations, it would be all but impossible to prove impropriety of the snooping variety.
I think this is a problem we've always had that is being magnified by technology that allows us to realize that it is occurring.
- mattsfrey 13y agoThe story of ultra-wealthy shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis is very interesting to read about. He was brazen in his profiteering and I've read stories that his rise to fortune started by eavesdropping on wealthy citizens making deals and buying stock etc when he worked as a telephone switchboard operator.
- micro_cam 13y agoThere was no expectation of privacy with early phone systems. I'm only 31 but when i was very young my parents (in small town Washington) had a party line [1] shared with some neighbors such that you could listen in on each others calls. See also the archetype of the gossipy telephone operator. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_line_(telephony) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_line_(telephony)
- mverwijs 13y agoThere was an tiny anecdote on a TED talk about the speakers grandmother working at a telephone switchboard in India. She regularly heard conversations she shouldn't have, including conversations with Nehru (the then president of India). http://www.ted.com/talks/raghava_kk_what_s_your_200_year_plan.html http://www.ted.com/talks/raghava_kk_what_s_your_200_year_pla... around 09:00.