Taping phone calls, answering machines, prohibited telecommunications equipment

[squidgy]

I must admit, when I try to find out more about this, I seem to get very confused.

Apparently, if you tape a phone call, you're supposed to let the person know that this is happening. Quite how this is different to using an answering machine, I don't know, though .....

But also, it seems that if you use a search engine to find equipment for taping phone calls (other than ordinary answering machines), you tend to find that web sites give you big warnings about the fact that it's prohibited to connect any of the equipment they sell to the public telecommunications network, and that you risk prosecution if you do.

Why? Personally, I'd have thought that the only reason a piece of equipment should be prohibited is for safety reasons, or possibly to prevent telephone network congestion. I can't see that a phone which records stuff is any different from one which doesn't.

Sometimes, if you phone up for information about something, eg cinema listings or coach timetables, it's a premium rate number, so it's useful to record it so that you can play it back without continuing to rack up high call charges by asking them to repeat everything whilst you write it down. Could it be that there's some market protectionism at work here to try to stop you doing this? Or is that me just being too cynical? :lol

If anyone could shed any light on this, I'd be very grateful. Thanks. :)

[Jill]

Hi Squidgy :)

I've been down this route myself. I don't think anyone would do anything to stop you recording information like cinema listings etc., but the purpose of recording a call is very often so that the evidence may be heard in court, which was why I wanted to do it. After taking advice on what was and wasn't permissable, I did in fact tape record some calls but knew that they wouldn't be admissable in the court although it was fine for me to play them to my solicitor and barrister to give them an idea of the problems I was having. There's no way I could have informed the caller that the conversation was being recorded, not without suffing severe consequences!

Answering machines don't really fall into the same category, people use them for day to day stuff and not for a specific recording so to speak. You'll find it's the legality of actually using the information contained in the call that's the problem. If you want to use it in court, you've got to tell the caller first.

[Techtips]

You dont have to use kit that "Connects" to a network or line,

There are devices available that have a sucker on and can be stuck on the top of the phone mounting.

Ian

[Jill]

That's what I used Ian ;)
Very efficient, you can get 'em from Tandy :)

[Synergy Blades]

I have a lie detector with an input for a phone cable type thing (works off voice analysis). Of course they don't provide this cable because it's illegal but it's there if you want to risk it! :lol (not that they mention it's illegal but I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed).

[squidgy]

Thanks for the tip about things you stick to the phone handset. Thing is, though, that's ok for traditional style handsets, but I prefer to use hands free kits for longer calls. Furthermore, I'd prefer to keep sound quality as good as possible, and I imagine that a pickup you just stick on the phone handset rather than plug into the line is likely to get more background interference.

It might also be handy to use the same equipment to monitor calls through speakers ... which is especially handy when phoning those "customer service" lines to query bills but have to wait for half an hour before anyone actually answers, so you don't need to hold the handset or wear the headset whilst waiting. This might also be useful if you want to redial a friend's engaged phone number repeatedly until you get through. Of course, you have to mute the microphone to do this, otherwise you just get feedback ... and you have to turn the speakers off before turning the microphone on .... so that the feedback doesn't scream down the phone at the person who's just answered ..... and make sure you don't accidentally hang up in the process. Complicated! Maybe I could get a pricier phone that does all this by itself though.

But it just seems odd that equipment which you plug straight into the phone line to record or monitor is "prohibited", whereas these pickups you just attach to a handset aren't, and there are lots of hands-free phones and answering machines that do this kind of thing all by themselves anyway, and they aren't prohibited either. Have I missed something really obvious here?
:confused:

[Naddersweet]

If someone leaves an incriminating message or information on an answer phone thats OK to use as evidence. The person calling is aware that the message they leave is being recorded.

[Techtips]

Yep this is true,


Squidge dont underestimate the quality of the sucker type connections until you have tried them.

They are as Jill puts it "very efficient".

Ian

[onomatopoeia]

It is an offence to connect non BABT approved equipment to the public telephone network, this approval means the equipment has been tested as safe (for both the user and the network). It does not specifically relate to the nature of the equipment.

The solution as stated above is to use recording devices which do not connect to the network but instead a stage removed, ie microphones attached to a handset on another extension would do.