How do you track someone else’s phone call? In the movies, you just have to hold the call long enough for the “detective” to locate the caller. This mindset has been abused so much that users can be stressed when having to receive calls from unknown numbers. To answer this question, we must first find out before the computerization of everything, what does the switchboard do?
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Before there were computers, we had switchboards
Before the global telephone system was controlled by computers, calls would be routed by an army of telecommunications through a network of physical devices and circuits. Traditionally, these shifters were mostly women (although there were also cases of teenage boys with their rude language and unprofessional manners, which was so hot back then). .
When a call comes in, the carrier routes the call to its destination by connecting (physically) to a dedicated port on the board. Later, automation also gradually made this way obsolete.
At the end of the 19th century, the manufacturer Almon Strowger invented electromechanical step switch The world’s first commercial. Patented in 1891, this device allowed people to call others directly without needing to switch calls. Although it took several decades for this invention to achieve commercial success, it eventually turned the boring job of turning into one done with superb precision. This is the premise for the next decade of technology boom.
Over time, the technology used to automatically make calls became more complex. Finally, when public phones were brought to companies and located in our homes, it was able to handle a larger volume of calls. People can make calls over greater distances. But the fundamentals remain unchanged.
In previous eras, call tracking was dependent on many other factors such as the absence of computer-generated metadata, the responsibility of which was on the phone company. It had to. The eavesdropper must trace the winding paths of the switches to discover the origin and location of the call. Tired, the phone companies took the matter to law enforcement.
This is a rather time-consuming process, requiring a negotiator or policeman to keep the call active for as long as possible. If the suspect hangs up, the game ends, and of course the police win. If that doesn’t work, they either have to try again or find another way to catch “that rat”.
This is probably a Hollywood inspiration. Of course, they already have a license from the police. To track a call it definitely takes more than a minute or two to complete. But accuracy is often sacrificed by suspense.
Calls are now stored digitally
Finally, computers have taken hold of the telecommunications sector. Gradually, it takes over tasks, like routing calls, that were previously performed by physical circuits or humans.
From a consumer perspective there will be new features like caller ID and call waiting.
From a legal perspective, it will simplify investigations. Calls no longer have to be manually tracked on switches. Law enforcement also doesn’t need to monitor calls in real time, they just need to see the metadata generated by the call.
The word metadata means “data about data”. In telecommunications, metadata includes things like the call’s location, destination, and the type of phone (cell, landline, or payphone) that was used.
Since these records are small pieces of text that can be easily stored in a database, phone companies can store them for a long time. This allows the police to obtain information about calls that took place a month or even years ago.
In 2011, FBI leaked documents revealed that some phone companies keep significantly more records of postpaid subscribers than prepaid subscribers. where it can be understood that the installment phone will be stored more information by the network operator.
Because call logs are now stored digitally, police also have direct access to activity logs for certain phone numbers. After all the legal paperwork is completed, it is merely a matter of looking up records in the database.
Law enforcement without waiting
If the police can easily trace ordinary phone calls, you should thank the computerized system.
Of course, there are other ways that criminals can communicate and evade the carrier, such as using VoiceIP, VPN and voice encoding. Those cases won’t be easy to track, even if you sit all day talking to other people.
