Wiretapping allows people to listen in on conversations occurring on a tapped telephone without either person on the line ends knowing that they are being heard by someone else. To be more specific, the method of listening in on a conversation between two parties by a third party using electronic equipment is called wiretapping. After tapping a communication line, anyone can listen to the calls made to that telephone number. Unless done with a legal warrant by a member of law enforcement, wiretapping is considered illegal and an infringement of privacy in the United States. Wiretapping is done only when the need arises to spy on somebody.
Wiretapping in the earlier days when technology was not so advanced was done by siphoning current from a telephone which was then converted to voice patterns. Now the advancement in technology has made wiretapping easier as compared to the conventional methods, with the use of induction coils or small devices called ‘bugs’. The coils work by measuring signals and transmitting them to an external recorder, which is a downside to this type of technology. These tape recorders are large and require lot of power. Also, they cannot be used at a place where more than one telephone lines merge, so they require to be installed very close to the house/apartment where the telephone is placed.
On the other hand, advancement in technology has helped in the development of miniature micro transmitter radio devices called ‘bugs,’ which use power directly from the tapped telephone line and can transmit radio signals to an external receiver located at long distances up to a kilometre or more, where people can sit in a hiding place and listen to what is being said over the telephone. These devices are efficient and small in size, so they can be conveniently used by law enforcement agencies, unnoticed by the ones being spied on.
