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this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2024
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I never experienced this myself, but your comment here reminded me that in rural areas, some people's homes would be on a "party line". Meaning, one phone number for several houses, and I guess all the phones in all the houses on the party line would ring if it was called? And neighbors could just pick up their handset quietly and listen into calls and snoop and get gossip that way if the people talking didn't watch what they said over the phone?
And even in homes that had their own dedicated number, you could quietly lift any phone handset in the house and listen in. If you were careful the other people talking would never know someone else was listening in.
I never experienced the "party line", but having my parents or brother try to eavesdrop my calls by picking up another handset was a constant problem. I remember me and friends pausing or conversation at the slightest click noise on the line in fear someone was listening.
Later, when we got our first home computer and modem, my new problem was people picking up a handset while I was connected via modem. It would kill my connection every time. I used to get so pissed.