Jim Noble :

Why is skype getting all of this fear mongering?

The Onion Router (TOR - http://tor.eff.org) is a fantastic way of circumventing IT controls in just about ANY network. I can run TOR with my altirus software virtualization tool (free), and i can do it from my 4GB USB Thumbdrive.

I have worked in environments where the IT security and network staff felt that they knew exactly what was going on, however, since all of my outbound network traffic was tunneled over TOR, (at least the information that I didn't want them to see), I could still perform any feat or action that I desired on the internet.

My main point here is not to run away from these applications. They have their place. I use TOR primarily to surf competitors web sites, when I don't want my company's IP Address showing up in the web logs, however, when draconian rules are applied as described by the previous posters, these people need to understand that "tightening the screws" will only make people find these tools, and deploy them.

Sorry Larry, I had to set you straight... who still uses skype anyway?