MovieChat Forums > The Numbers Station (2013) Discussion > Major plot hole: The CIA does not have I...

Major plot hole: The CIA does not have IVR systems?


Why the CIA would use humans operators to broadcast simple numbers?

Since long time ago (before massive cellphone use), IVRs are used in common telephony to give info such as the current time, billing, weather forecast, etc.

Plus, consider that no decision is supposed to be made by the operator, as opposed to a similar duty in an ICBM silo. But, this is not the case because the message is encrypted, so the operator never knows what orders are being transmitted.

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I have to say I didn't get the major aspect of the film either. Firstly, all number stations I've ever listened to indeed had automated voices. Okay, that does not necessarily rule out the possible existence of number stations with human announcers doing the broadcasts, but in this case it just seems to come in handy in order to back the plot, because secondly, I do not understand why the CIA (or any intelligence service/number station operator for that matter) would recruit a cryptography expert if all she ever has to do is read out a few numbers? I mean, it was apparently explicitly not part of her job to actually ENcode any messages. Frell, she didn't even know how the principle behind those transmissions works, nor did she know what the broadcasts are for - both are information which is freely available on the Internet, and I guess the first thing someone who lands such a job does is conducting a little Google search which would have revealed so much more background information than she seemed to have. Lastly, if she was such an expert, why the frell would the CIA kill her? Killers can be trained, but maths "geniuses" don't grow on trees.

That said, I did like the pace of the movie, and I was never bored.
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"We're with you all the way, mostly"

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I have to say I didn't get the major aspect of the film either.

I do not understand why the CIA (or any intelligence service/number station operator for that matter) would recruit a cryptography expert if all she ever has to do is read out a few numbers? I mean, it was apparently explicitly not part of her job to actually ENcode any messages. Frell, she didn't even know how the principle behind those transmissions works, nor did she know what the broadcasts are for ...
I agree. Katherine's role was poorly designed and never really clarified. One minute she is apparently some sort of select cryptography expert who needs to be protected throughout the working week and then at seemingly the drop of a hat, she can be dispensed with.
Killers can be trained, but maths "geniuses" don't grow on trees.
My sentiments exactly.🐭

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