Electronically (i.e., legality aside), can a consumer VoIP interface (e.g., Ooma Telo) potentially listen in on an analog phone when the phone is on-the-hook, or is the phone's mouthpiece/microphone guaranteed to be inoperable by design for all phones, even the simplest all-analog models? Perhaps with enough gain, DSP, clever circuitry well beyond CMR, and so forth?
If so:
Do wiretapping laws prevent snooping on this single-party situation, and are they enforceable enough to be effective?
Presumably a PSTN CO could do the same, but I assume oversight is much tighter in that case, and I figure the chances of eliminating noise are immensely higher when there's a Linux box (or whatever) right on the customer's premises a few meters from the phone, rather than a long copper run to the pole and beyond.
.. Then yes, I suppose in a James-Bondy way it might in theory be possible (with sufficient gain, filtering and DSP) to (ab)use an electrolytic capacitor, piezo buzzer (hard-of-hearing ringing booster) etc.
If it is one of the simpler ones, then no (but not a domain expert). Best suggestion is open it up and see how/where the cord terminates. If there is little between it and the cord coming in then I don't think there is any way to 'jump over' the air-gap created by the switch though I guess you might be able to measure the change in air capacitance of the switch air gap for very loud noises (spinning rust disks record loud vibrations/sounds) so as always, consult an expert based on threat model.
In terms of legal/type approval any testing most likely states that ‘phone must disconnect from line’ and be able to withstand x amount of surge before emitting magic smoke. Local laws may vary.
Note:VOIP phones are a different kettle of fish and haven't taken enough of them apart to comment on them.