I have Google Voice now and have been very happy with how it works and what it makes possible. At the same time, free Google services are a deal with the devil. I know they’re doing analytics on me and everyone in my address book. That is something I want to change as soon as is possible.
Does anyone here know any good call management software and maybe any required hardware to create my own personal google-voice-like server? I would like to collaborate with anyone else here who wants to do the same. I am not sure exactly what is required to set something like that up. I want to port my own phone number away from Google Voice and in to my own call and text message server. If I can get that server to do everything I want, I can offer to let my friends and family use it also. After locking down all of the Security issues, perhaps a person could sell paid subscriptions to it. Unlike GV, the paid subscribers would have a contract guaranteeing the privacy of their communications, address book information, and other personal information which would never be sold or shared. Other privacy features could be added that are not on the market now. For example, I would like to build a closed system that requires people inside of the system to follow certain rules (no telemarketing unless people want to explicitly opt-in to allow others to relemarket to them, and various other privacy-related features that will always validate callers true identity for every call and that can banish violators from the system if they break the rules). Those who don’t try to spoof their number or try to make unwanted sales or harassing calls would have nothing to worry about. Everyone outside of the system would be regulated the same way that GV allows you to block all incoming calls between certain hours of your choice, except for incoming calls from people in your address book. Integrity-related features of such a system could start with just one person (me alone if necessary), and could spread as others join-in to the system.
Such a system would have to be built on an open source software platform as a foundation, and stay FSF and RYF compliant. Out of the box (or repository), most of these privacy and integrity features would probably not exist. But if I start with free software that provides features similar to Google Voice as much as is possible on my home PC server and just my own phone number as a client, the rest of the code could be developed over time until something significant could eventually be deployed to a rented server space. Any ideas? Anyone else here interested in something like that?
