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Other Stuff That Has Little To Do With PLA => General Discussions => Ask Anyone => Topic started by: Tachyon on February 13, 2007, 03:42:33 PM

Title: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on February 13, 2007, 03:42:33 PM
Yeah, a friend and I were using a deaf relay operator off a payphone, when all of a sudden juring one of our innocent calls, we where informed this number could be reported to the authorities, what could become of this? This happened in canada btw.


MattGSX: moved because it should be it's own topic. Please don't make me do it again.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: MattGSX on February 13, 2007, 07:50:45 PM
You were using a terminal off the payphone, or are you just trying to be humorous?

Though a deaf relay op is obligated to not interfere with a call, I'm pretty sure they COULD report harassment on a terminal. You should be fine as long as you don't go back there and as long as you didn't give out any private info on the call, though I'm not sure if they could give that out anyway.

If you were to get busted, you could be charged with harassment (maybe), and the relay company may be able to press a civil charge for abuse of services, but I don't know if either would stick. The only person I know who got hit with something like that sent a bomb threat via IP-tty from a school computer lab to the school.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on February 14, 2007, 07:48:50 PM
Nah we were pranking some local pimps and a McDonalds manager with a portable TTY unit I got off ebay. We later went to another payphone and called the non-emergency police line and the cop said we'd get a slap on the wrist and be told not to do it again nicely.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: murd0c on February 15, 2007, 05:29:39 AM
Nah we were pranking some local pimps and a McDonalds manager with a portable TTY unit I got off ebay. We later went to another payphone and called the non-emergency police line and the cop said we'd get a slap on the wrist and be told not to do it again nicely.

You are a fucking idiot.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on February 15, 2007, 06:10:40 AM
How's that?
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Nod on February 15, 2007, 02:11:24 PM
Quote
Nah we were pranking some local pimps and a McDonalds manager with a portable TTY unit I got off ebay. We later went to another payphone and called the non-emergency police line and the cop said we'd get a slap on the wrist and be told not to do it again nicely.
Quote
You are a fucking idiot.
Quote
How's that?

Because you just don't fuck with pimps. You're gonna pimp slapped bitch.
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a251/liquidrepublic/1192150195_m.gif)

edit- Fixed my img code.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: murd0c on February 15, 2007, 02:19:36 PM
Pretty much. You'll get a double dose of pimp slappin'.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Nod on February 15, 2007, 02:30:38 PM
Get pimp slapped with the baby powder.

<off topic>Does anyone have any images of B. Powder from How High? I couldn't find any. Neither could six chacha guides.</off topic>
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on February 15, 2007, 03:27:01 PM
These pimps were pretty lame, and weren't even very funny.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: mr_doc on March 08, 2007, 05:07:44 PM
Of all the times the relay ops have threatened to report my ip or report my activities I haven't heard a peep from my ISP*.
One relay op hijacked my call once by disconnecting the person I called, and having the conversation with me himself pretending to be the other person before telling me I was going to be reported.

My verdict: totally worth it

Edit: I haven't heard from them about relay op use that is. They've bitched about bittorrent seeding of games and movies and portscanning
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on March 08, 2007, 05:20:06 PM
I was actually pretty pissed off at that smartass relay operator though. I mean, if I was a real deaf person, what the hell right do they have to report me for gangsta rapping? I thought they were supposed to be a totally transparent relay, and therefore can't report me even if I discuss blatantly illegal things...apparently not though, at least here.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: MattGSX on March 12, 2007, 09:41:00 AM
It's very difficult, because most relay companies have a policy of not interfering with calls for that very reason, but they are technically breaking ethical codes by being part of a conspiracy to commit crimes. It's kind of a sticky situation, but i'm guessing that unless you talk about bombing somewhere or assassinating someone important they won't do anything.

And I've been interrogated by federal agents about this, so I know for a fact that relay ops have no problem rolling over on bomb threats.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on March 12, 2007, 01:08:57 PM
Yeah I see your point. I'm no psycho and wasn't doing the lameass old bomb threat thing (I don't find it that funny), about the closest thing to that we did was call up a straight-edge co-worker and cussed him out for not paying Tony for the cocaine last week, but they let us make a few more calls that weren't nearly so bad before telling us they'd ratted us to the cops.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: I-baLL on March 15, 2007, 05:39:58 PM
I don't know if anybody remembers this but a couple of years ago Sprint Relay started threatening pranksters by saying that they will pass on the prankster's IP addresses to the Department of Homeland Security. It was a very weird situation cause it wasn't just one relay op who would say that to you but all of  them. Sometimes they'd say that after you only typed in one word. I once got that threat by starting my TTY conversation with the phrase "My balls are itchy."
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: MattGSX on March 20, 2007, 12:06:24 PM
I remember that too. the rumor floating around is that the FCC was sick of subsidizing money to IP-TTD/TTY providers since there was such a large amount of pranking and crime (setting up drug deals, threats, etc) done on the lines. I think the phone companies were afraid of losing that federal funding unless they cracked down on the pranking problem.

That's, at least, what I heard from a friend's mom, and I believe her only because she has worked as a relay op and I assume she still knows some of them in our area.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on March 20, 2007, 01:53:24 PM
IP address...bahahahhaha. In any case I was just using a sweet little portable TTY I'd gotten off eBay at a payphone, the only reason I worried at the time was we were using a payphone right outside the McDonalds where my friend worked and we were pranking his dumbshit boss, who probably would have identified us.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: MattGSX on March 20, 2007, 04:07:26 PM
That's not really that much bust risk unless the op either contacted local police  to come and confront you while you were making the calls (which is hard to do since tho ops don't control incoming calls, but are on a queue system [if I understand it correctly]) or if someone was able to remember your appearance that you'd match up if they somehow later thought to suspect you (i.e. you bragging to a friend who squealed, the McDonald's boss hearing a friend talk about it to a co-worker, your mom finding the TTY).
As I implied earlier, low bust risk.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: ChrisT on September 18, 2007, 06:00:46 PM
How were you using a TTY at a payphone? Was it a batterry powered model that sends/recieves tones through the handset?
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Nod on September 18, 2007, 06:04:17 PM
Accoustic coupler. You're probably too young to remember those.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: mr_doc on September 18, 2007, 06:07:11 PM
How were you using a TTY at a payphone? Was it a batterry powered model that sends/recieves tones through the handset?

Tesla coil
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on September 18, 2007, 06:12:29 PM
How were you using a TTY at a payphone? Was it a batterry powered model that sends/recieves tones through the handset?

Actually yes. I found it again the other day, but this stupid little prick kid I met in the states who decided I was the coolest guy in the world waited til I was drunk then stole it.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Nod on September 18, 2007, 06:13:24 PM
How were you using a TTY at a payphone? Was it a batterry powered model that sends/recieves tones through the handset?

Tesla coil

I <3 you but, are you following me?
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: MattGSX on September 18, 2007, 08:59:02 PM
This, by the way, is what we would refer to as a good thread revival. Chris had a valid question that wasn't previously answered and allowed the discussion to... somewhat, begin again.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Tachyon on September 19, 2007, 05:09:33 AM
This is the third night now I've dreamed of finding the TTY. Borderline psychotic   yes, but perhaps there is an opportunity here. Perhaps my drunken memory loss doesn't extend to the subconscious mind, and I can unlock it via lucid dreaming. I could still retrieve my TTY!
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: MattGSX on September 21, 2007, 06:34:08 AM
... but probably won't. Go drink some more, drunky.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: RijilV on September 23, 2007, 07:22:33 AM
At some point in time I was talking with a relay op outside of the relay experience.  They were saying someone was using their service to card shit.  They would report it all the time, but it had been months and this person was still carding crap all over the place.  I think a few prank calls are likely to never be acted upon, regardless of if they were reported

Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Nod on September 23, 2007, 04:16:32 PM
Just out of curiosity, where did you meet a relay op outside of using the relay? I mean, I know they don't keep them in a box and put them there when needed like trained monkeys. I realize they're people and live lives outside of singing songs and saying cactus to random people. I just mean that if it was just some random chance meaning then that seems a little fortuitous.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: RijilV on September 23, 2007, 06:40:18 PM
It was a long time ago, but the relay op must have handled a bunch of our pranks because they started to instant message me at some point - possibly after finding the old forums even.  I was pretty skeptical at first, but I got enough info that I could validate that made me buy the story.

But like I said, the relay ops might report you, but that's kinda like an operator reporting you for redboxing... I mean so wut.. 


Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: Wino on September 26, 2007, 06:15:12 PM
I've never had a tty relay give me any static for anything. Around 2001-ish on a conference call, someone called in with one and we had him do prank calls, and he was totally cool about it. He even stayed on the call for about 15 minutes after the person using the relay disconnected.

Ever have one sing? "I'm a little tea pot short and stout, here is my handle, here is my spout...."GA

I'd think of them kind of like a shrink, they're not allowed to disclose anything unless you're threatening physical harm to someone else.
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: RijilV on September 27, 2007, 05:24:41 PM
I always wanted to find a short play and have relay ops read out the lines for one particular actor in the play, then put all the records together in the correct order and release it...if someone takes that idea and pulls it off I'll totally buy you a beer :)
Title: Re: Deaf Relay Ops
Post by: ChrisT on September 29, 2007, 08:58:21 AM
The people that make books on tape should use relay ops to save money.