Skype security issues "resolved" in Jordan

Following a month-long ban on Skype, Jordanian authorities have reversed their decision on the ban:

Director of the commission's regulatory department, Al Ansari Al Mashaqbah, confirmed yesterday that the recent decision to block Skype had been reversed.

The official told The Jordan Times that the security issues, cited as the reason for the block, had been resolved.

The article goes on to mention that China's Shenzhen Province had previously blocked and subsequently unblocked Skype citing the same reasons.

The popular software programme uses an encryption method that came under attack recently. Technical support representatives at Wanado said the reasons Skype was being targeted was because of possible terrorist activity, and the inability to monitor Skype conversations.

This begs the question: is the "security issue" a cover for "the inability to listen in"? Do the Chinese, the Jordanians, and who knows how many other governments, now possess the ability to wiretap Skype conversations? They would probably not require judicial approval, as in the Swiss case, and could therefore simply adopt the technology without an announcement.

Categories: Skype, World, Security, Telecom, VoIP, VoIP Service