Wiretapping VoIP calls

• US 20070183403A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 08/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Twitter Inc (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Somers, Willard
• Granted Patent: US 7,684,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/304 intercepting circuit switched data communications lawful interception of wireless network communications H04W12/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A method, system and computer program for assisting law enforcement surveillance of a telephone call in accordance with the requirements of is presented. The method includes, but is not limited to, the steps of: receiving an indication of a call that is placed with a pre-identified telephonic unit that uses an internet packet protocol for transmission, wherein the pre-identified telephonic unit has been selected for telephone call surveillance; converting the call into a converted call that is in analog form; and redirecting the converted call to an analog switching station that is capable of performing surveillance of the call.

Claims

1. A method of assisting law enforcement surveillance of a telephone call, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a call that is placed with a pre-identified telephonic unit that uses an internet packet protocol for transmission, wherein the pre-identified telephonic unit has been selected for telephone call surveillance;

converting the call into a converted call that is in analog form; and

redirecting the converted call to an analog switching station that is capable of performing surveillance of the call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-identified telephonic unit is a subject of a wiretap court order.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the surveillance of the call comprises recording the call.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the call is an audio-only call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein telephonic traffic outbound from the pre-identified telephonic unit is via a Signaling System Number 7 (SS7) compliant switch, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending to the SS7 compliant switch an override message that instructs the SS7 compliant switch to redirect the call in analog form to the analog switching station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the override message is an Application Program Interface (API) that is transmitted to the SS7 compliant switch from an external application server.

7. A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to the processor; and

a computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer-usable medium being coupled to the data bus, the computer program code comprising instructions executable by the processor and configured for;

receiving an indication of a call that is placed with a pre-identified telephonic unit that uses an internet packet protocol for transmission, wherein the pre-identified telephonic unit has been selected for telephone call surveillance;

converting the call into a converted call that is in analog form; and

redirecting the converted call to an analog switching station that is capable of performing surveillance of the call.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the pre-identified telephonic unit is a subject of a wiretap court order.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the surveillance of the call comprises recording the call.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the call is an audio-only call.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein telephonic traffic outbound from the pre-identified telephonic unit is via a Signaling System Number 7 (SS7) compliant switch, and wherein the instructions executable by the processor are further configured for:

sending to the SS7 compliant switch an override message that instructs the SS7 compliant switch to redirect the call in analog form to the analog switching station.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the override message is an Application Program Interface (API) that is transmitted to the SS7 compliant switch from an external application server.

13. A computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

receiving an indication of a call that is placed with a pre-identified telephonic unit that uses an internet packet protocol for transmission, wherein the pre-identified telephonic unit has been selected for telephone call surveillance;

converting the call into a converted call that is in analog form; and

redirecting the converted call to an analog switching station that is capable of performing surveillance of the call.

14. The computer-useable medium of claim 13, wherein the pre-identified telephonic unit is a subject of a wiretap court order.

15. The computer-useable medium of claim 14, wherein the surveillance of the call comprises recording the call.

16. The computer-useable medium of claim 15, wherein the call is an audio-only call.

17. The computer-useable medium of claim 13, wherein telephonic traffic outbound from the pre-identified telephonic unit is via a Signaling System Number 7 (SS7) compliant switch, and wherein the computer executable instructions are further configured for:

sending to the SS7 compliant switch an override message that instructs the SS7 compliant switch to redirect the call in analog form to the analog switching station.

18. The computer-useable medium of claim 17, wherein the override message is an Application Program Interface (API) that is transmitted to the SS7 compliant switch from an external application server.

19. The computer-useable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer program code is deployed to the SS7 compliant switch from a service provider'"'"'s server that is located at a remote location.

20. The computer-useable medium of claim 13, wherein the computer program code is provided by a service provider to a customer on an on-demand basis.