Post #4376483

2026-08-04 13:27 UTC

I know film tropes are special, and I wondered on this. Seen on old x-files, the notion of a "call trace" - Takes time - Have to stay on call - Gets more and more digits over time I wonder how much is based on reality, albeit distorted. I imagine analogue exchanges, someone at exchange checking mechanical selectors, or a (non audio) "buzzing" out the circuit, and it taking time. The second anything digital it (a) takes no time and (b) can be done after the call has ended. Anything in it?

Replies (2)

@tony@toot.hoyle.me.uk 2026-08-04 13:41

@revk@toot.me.uk From what I can see tracing for billing purposes was largely automatic by the 1970s. The 'stay on call' trope creates drama but isn't reality.. I wonder if they stuck with it for so long just to help law enforcement.. if criminals thought they'd be safe if they made short phone calls.. Occasionally they'll try the same trope with tracing IP addresses..

Open ##4376481
@steve@mastodon.nexusuk.org 2026-08-04 14:00

@revk@toot.me.uk Suspect this was true for analogue stuff. For digital, I did work in the SS7 world for a while, but not quite sure how much would be logged. If someone is doing "nefarious" stuff to route calls in a strange way, its possible that there may not be enough logging to figure the whole route out after the fact? Especially since the call may be routed through multiple independent telcos - the callee's telco is probably not going to have full routing data back to the caller?

Open ##4377462