The use of Ebay's Internet-based telephone, Skype, has been banned from California State University in San Jose, following claims that the technology used is capable of corrupting and crowding Internet networks.

CSU San Jose, which announced to ban on Monday, is the latest university to make such claims. The University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), which has already forbidden Skype use, but allows students to use other Internet-based phone software on its network.

The main problem that universities have with Skype is that they say it forces some users to become temporary transfer points for phone calls, which violates the universities' network policies.

The use of Skype is not generally permitted, this is not a prohibition on the use of other VOIP products, such as Wengo or Gizmo Project, said San Jose State on its Website site last week.

The universities have also said that Skype minimizes the network's capacity and also gives hackers a way to get access to university servers. Skype is based on an online communications standard as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) which allows Internet users make and receive free phone calls.

California Software Ebay Ban