Skip to Content
Uncategorized

Vonage Falls Down on 911

Ben Smith writes in Slate about a problem he had when he dialed 911 on his Vonage phone.What’s surprising here, though, is that Vonage makes a big deal about its 911 service. When I got my Vonage phone, the company…

Ben Smith writes in Slate about a problem he had when he dialed 911 on his Vonage phone.

What’s surprising here, though, is that Vonage makes a big deal about its 911 service. When I got my Vonage phone, the company had me register my address. You’ll find information about 911 at the Vonage site.

Smith claims that Vonage uses the registered address to search a database and find the phone number in the database that is closest to your house. I have trouble believing this, because that would send the police to somebody else’s house, not to your house.

Smith could be right, but he doesn’t quote anybody at Vonage to back up his claims about how their system works.

There is a discussion of other Vonage 911 problems at Broadband Reports.

I’ll drop a note to Vonage and find out what’s really going on.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

This new data poisoning tool lets artists fight back against generative AI

The tool, called Nightshade, messes up training data in ways that could cause serious damage to image-generating AI models. 

Rogue superintelligence and merging with machines: Inside the mind of OpenAI’s chief scientist

An exclusive conversation with Ilya Sutskever on his fears for the future of AI and why they’ve made him change the focus of his life’s work.

Data analytics reveal real business value

Sophisticated analytics tools mine insights from data, optimizing operational processes across the enterprise.

The Biggest Questions: What is death?

New neuroscience is challenging our understanding of the dying process—bringing opportunities for the living.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.