PrivateSwitch Specification

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PrivateSwitch

From one line to total control.

PrivateSwitch is a self-hosted, privacy-first, AI-powered phone routing and operator system designed to give individuals, families, and small organizations complete control over how calls are received, screened, managed, and routed.

The system combines traditional operator-style call handling with intelligent AI assistance, allowing a phone number to become a programmable communication gateway rather than simply a destination for incoming calls.

Specification

PrivateSwitch shall provide a modular communication system in which core call management, intelligent routing, privacy controls, AI operator capabilities, and user management operate as integrated modules.

The system shall support multiple independent phone numbers while allowing each number to maintain its own identity, routing rules, AI behavior, privacy settings, and availability.

The system shall prioritize local control, data ownership, encrypted communication, configurable retention, and minimal dependency on external services.

Core Modules

Call Management

The Call Management module shall provide the primary controls for handling inbound and outbound calls.

Features shall include:

Inbound call handling
Outbound call handling
Support for one or multiple phone numbers
Management of individual phone number identities
Custom call handling per number
Conditional call forwarding
Unconditional call forwarding
Simultaneous ringing
Sequential ringing
Ring groups
Call transfer
Blind transfer
Attended transfer
AI-assisted transfer
Call hold
Call queues
Voicemail
Voicemail transcription
Configurable call recording
Configurable call recording retention
Custom greetings
Caller announcements
Call status management
Call history

AI Operator – Phonic Integration

The AI Operator module shall provide an intelligent operator experience capable of interacting with callers before connecting them to a destination.

Features shall include:

AI-powered call answering
Custom AI greetings
Natural language caller interaction
Caller identification questions
Intent detection
Intent classification
AI-assisted call screening
AI-driven routing decisions
Context-aware responses
Caller context
Conversation context
Configurable AI personalities
Personalized AI voices
Individual AI behavior per phone number
Real-time AI intervention
Human takeover
Human-to-AI handoff
AI-to-human handoff
AI-assisted call transfer
AI-assisted message taking
AI-assisted callback handling
Integration with Phonic AI

Phonic

Intelligent Routing

The Intelligent Routing module shall determine how calls are handled based on configurable rules, caller information, schedules, and AI interpretation.

Features shall include:

Rule-based routing
AI-driven routing
Routing trees
Caller ID routing
Time-based routing
Day-based routing
Keyword-based routing
Intent-based routing
Contact-based routing
VIP routing
Whitelist routing
Blacklist routing
Spam-aware routing
Availability-based routing
Do-not-disturb routing
Sequential routing
Simultaneous routing
Failover routing
Escalation routing
Optional geographic routing

Privacy and Encryption

The Privacy and Encryption module shall protect communication data and provide users with control over storage, access, and retention.

Features shall include:

Encrypted signaling
Encrypted media transport
Encrypted call recordings
Encrypted voicemail
Encrypted transcripts
Encrypted call logs
Secure credential management
Secure key management
User-controlled data retention
Per-number privacy settings
Local data storage
Self-hosted operation
Optional zero-knowledge storage architecture
Configurable access controls
Privacy-preserving caller records
Data deletion controls
Auditability of sensitive operations

PrivateSwitch shall distinguish between communication infrastructure controlled by the user and external telephone networks required to connect to conventional phone numbers.

Spam and Call Protection

The Spam and Call Protection module shall identify, challenge, filter, and block unwanted calls.

Features shall include:

AI robocall detection
Spam detection
Behavioral call analysis
Suspicious caller identification
Reputation-based filtering
Challenge-response screening
Silent screening
Automatic spam blocking
Configurable block lists
Configurable allow lists
Caller verification
Automated spam reporting
User-defined protection policies

Caller Intelligence

The Caller Intelligence module shall provide contextual information that helps determine how calls should be handled.

Features shall include:

Caller recognition
Caller tagging
Contact matching
Caller history
Relationship-based routing
Caller notes
Call context
Previous interaction context
Optional voice recognition
Optional voice fingerprinting
Caller-specific AI behavior
Caller-specific routing policies
Caller-specific screening policies

Any biometric or voice-identification capability shall be optional and subject to explicit user configuration.

Number and Identity Management

The Number and Identity Management module shall allow users to manage multiple phone identities within a single PrivateSwitch installation.

Features shall include:

Assignment of phone numbers
Support for multiple phone numbers
Support for up to ten independently managed numbers for personal, family, or small-office deployments
Custom identity per number
Custom greeting per number
Custom AI personality per number
Custom routing rules per number
Custom privacy settings per number
Custom availability schedules per number
Shared or isolated call handling
Number-specific voicemail
Number-specific call history
Number-specific recording policies

Multi-User and Multi-Line Management

The Multi-User and Multi-Line module shall allow PrivateSwitch to operate across households, teams, and small organizations.

Features shall include:

Multiple user accounts
Independent user profiles
Multiple phone lines
Independent number ownership within the system
Shared numbers
Private numbers
Group routing
User availability
Role-based permissions
Administrative controls
User-specific AI preferences
User-specific call handling
Shared call handling policies
Isolated call data where configured

Dashboard and Control Center

The Dashboard module shall provide a unified interface for managing PrivateSwitch.

Features shall include:

Web-based control interface
Real-time call status
Active call monitoring
Call history
Searchable call logs
Filterable call logs
Voicemail management
Recording management
Transcript management
Phone number management
User management
Routing configuration
Visual routing builder
Advanced routing configuration
AI behavior configuration
Privacy configuration
Spam protection configuration
System status
Audit information
Configuration management

Outbound Communication

The Outbound Communication module shall provide controlled automation for outgoing calls.

Features shall include:

Outbound call initiation
AI-assisted outbound calls
Scheduled calls
Callback scheduling
Automated callbacks
Reminder calls
Dynamic call scripts
Context-aware outbound conversations
User approval before sensitive outbound actions
Outbound call history
Configurable outbound caller identity

Telephony and Connectivity

The Telephony and Connectivity module shall provide the communication layer required to connect PrivateSwitch to telephone services and supported communication endpoints.

Features shall include:

SIP connectivity
Support for compatible telephone service providers
Bring-your-own-carrier operation
Phone number integration
Inbound call termination
Outbound call origination
Call signaling management
Media session management
Secure signaling
Secure media transport
Connection failover
Configurable provider settings
Multiple provider support

Self-Hosting and Local Control

The Self-Hosting and Local Control module shall allow users to operate PrivateSwitch within infrastructure they control.

Features shall include:

Self-hosted deployment
On-premises deployment
Private server deployment
VPS deployment
Local network operation
Internet-accessible operation when explicitly configured
Local processing
User-controlled storage
Backup and restore
Configuration export
Configuration import
Service recovery
Deployment portability
Scalable deployment options

PrivateSwitch shall be designed so that core routing intelligence, configuration, and stored communication data can remain within infrastructure controlled by the user.

Optional Plugin Modules

PrivateSwitch shall support an extensible plugin architecture that allows additional capabilities to be installed without requiring those capabilities to become part of the core system.

AI Provider Plugins

Optional AI provider plugins may provide:

Alternative AI providers
Local AI models
Specialized conversational models
Speech recognition providers
Speech synthesis providers
Custom AI agents
Domain-specific AI behavior

Communication Provider Plugins

Optional communication plugins may provide:

Additional SIP providers
Additional carrier integrations
Alternative VoIP services
Specialized communication gateways
Additional telephone number providers

CRM Plugins

CRM plugins may provide:

Contact synchronization
Customer records
Caller relationship information
Interaction history
Lead information
Customer-specific routing

Calendar Plugins

Calendar plugins may provide:

Calendar availability
Appointment routing
Scheduled call handling
Meeting reminders
Availability synchronization

Messaging Plugins

Messaging plugins may provide:

SMS integration
Messaging notifications
Voicemail notifications
Call summaries
Missed-call notifications
Callback requests

Analytics Plugins

Analytics plugins may provide:

Call analytics
Usage reporting
Routing analytics
Spam statistics
Performance reporting
Operational dashboards

Analytics plugins shall respect configured privacy and retention policies.

Mobile Plugins

Mobile plugins may provide:

Mobile notifications
Remote call management
Mobile dashboard access
Call handoff
Secure remote administration

Hardware Plugins

Hardware plugins may provide:

Dedicated PrivateSwitch appliances
Physical operator consoles
Hardware phone interfaces
Local audio interfaces
Network telephony devices

Federation Plugins

Federation plugins may provide optional PrivateSwitch-to-PrivateSwitch communication capabilities.

Features may include:

PrivateSwitch identity discovery
Direct PrivateSwitch communication
Federated routing
Cross-instance call transfer
Federated caller identity
Peer-to-peer communication
Distributed communication policies

Federation shall remain optional and shall not be required for normal PrivateSwitch operation.

Specification Branding License (SBL)

Standard

Fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant system
Copyleft enforced for network deployments
Required attribution:
- Roxanne Ardary
- https://www.roxanneardary.com/

Optional

Specification Branding License (SBL)
- Attribution-free commercial deployment
- Pricing based on scale, usage, and deployment scope
- https://roxanneardary.com/privateswitch/

License & Notice Requirements

PrivateSwitch is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).

By contributing to any Open Arsenal project, you agree that your contributions will also be released under this license.

Please note the following:

All contributions must comply with the AGPL-3.0+ terms.
Under Section 7 of the license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works must preserve attribution to:
Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.
PrivateSwitch specifications are free to use with attribution. A Specification Branding License can be negotiated upon request.
The project’s notice.md file tracks attribution requirements and contributor acknowledgments.
Any update that adds new contributors or modifies attribution should also update notice.md.
When submitting a pull request, ensure that any new files maintain the attribution headers where applicable.
Network-deployed versions of this software must also remain fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant, including exposure of source code modifications when applicable under the license.

For full legal details, please refer to the AGPL-3.0+ license and the project’s notice.md file.

Notice – PrivateSwitch

Attribution Requirement: Under Section 7 of the AGPL 3.0+ license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works, including network-deployed versions of this project, must provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.

Contributors

This file tracks contributors and their specific contributions to the project.

Roxanne Ardary, roxanneardary.com – April 12, 2026
Created the repository for PrivateSwitch. Designed and initiated the development of a self-hosted, AI-powered, privacy-first call routing and operator system.
[Add other contributors here] – [Date]
[Describe contribution in one sentence]

License – PrivateSwitch

This repository is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).

Key Points

You are free to use, modify, and distribute the code.
All redistributions, forks, and derivative works or network-deployed versions must also be licensed under AGPL-3.0+ and provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com as required under Section 7 of the license.
The software is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind.

For the full license text, see GNU AGPL-3.0 License.

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