August 9, 2005
New products shield against eavesdroppers
Following revelations that not even cell phone conversations are safe from the reach of National Intelligence Service wiretappers, Korean companies are marketing a range of services and products that block electronic eavesdropping, reports JoongAng Daily.
"Onse Telecom, a communications company for international and long distance calls, started a scrambling service early this month. It was the first time that the service, which has been used by the military and government agencies, was offered to the public.
... After installing the device into a normal telephone, all phone calls are automatically routed to Onse Telecom's security center, where the conversation is encoded so that only the receiver can hear it. Anyone intercepting the call would hear only an unintelligible cacophony of beeps.
Using phones installed with the scrambling system, domestic phone and international phone would cost slightly higher than the normal rates.
Elsewhere, 3M Korea, the Korean arm of the U.S. technology giant, recently released a coating for windows that blocks high frequency radio signals and lasers, making it impossible to wiretap mobile phones or Bluetooth devices."
Related article: - Don't believe cell phones insure privacy
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