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Whether you’re constantly on the go or simply working from a remote location, it’s likely you rely heavily on your mobile device. In conversations, application launches or email exchanges, you want to be sure you communications and your data are protected. If your use of mobile VoIP puts the company in the path of a hacker, it may be time to develop a new use strategy.

This need was brought directly into the mainstream when the news broke that the National Security Agency (News - Alert) (NSA) was paying rather close attention to citizen communications. While the agency reports that their surveillance of citizens has helped to thwart more than 50 terrorist attacks since 9-11, the majority of the public views this as too up close and personal.

Fortunately, mobile VoIP offers a route for staying connected that is a little harder to survey. Unlike the traditional telephone call, a VoIP call placed over the Internet is difficult to trace. The structure of the Internet alone makes it easier to place protected calls via VoIP. Even on a mobile phone, when a VoIP call is placed, the voice is broken into data packets that are then sent over the Internet until it reaches the destination.

These data packets are often encrypted, something that doesn’t happen on the traditional landline. VoIP providers have the ability to break the encryption, but this step is harder to do for the government or other outside parties. And, because VoIP is so mobile, it’s difficult to pinpoint origination. For instance, mobile VoIP users tend to download apps on their devices to leverage the VoIP connection, making it harder to pinpoint the IP address and therefore their location.

This reliance on the technology as protection alone is not the best strategy, however. After all, the FCC (News - Alert) is constantly on the campaign to try and take over governance of the Internet and especially VoIP communications. Likewise, the FBI has announced plans to expand the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) that would include Internet calling. If successful, VoIP providers would have to make their VoIP calls easier to intercept and tap.

It’s unfortunate that a conversation surrounding the security of the mobile VoIP conversation has to focus on the potential interference from the government. While this may be common in some parts of the world, it shouldn’t be a part of the debate in the U.S. Since 9-11, however, we’ve lost many of the rights we used to cherish.

Providers like REVE Systems, who has built a robust, multi-level authentication system to ensure the protection of both, still keep security in mind when extending mobile VoIP solutions. As the user worries about the privacy and protection of their calls, the wholesale VoIP provider vows it will worry about the authentication of the user and the protection of the connection.