As Minxin Pei explains in “The Sentinel State,” the most effective methods to monitor Chinese citizens are deployed not by machines or computer code but by other Chinese citizens: a vast network of informants mobilized by government agencies at the national, provincial and local levels. The numbers are so vast, and the structure so well-organized, that this “analog surveillance state,” as Mr. Pei calls it, ensures “the survival of the world’s most powerful one-party dictatorship.”
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Book: “The Sentinel State"
As Minxin Pei explains in “The Sentinel State,” the most effective methods to monitor Chinese citizens are deployed not by machines or computer code but by other Chinese citizens: a vast network of informants mobilized by government agencies at the national, provincial and local levels. The numbers are so vast, and the structure so well-organized, that this “analog surveillance state,” as Mr. Pei calls it, ensures “the survival of the world’s most powerful one-party dictatorship.”
Friday, November 3, 2023
Weekend Read: “Spymaster’s Prism: The Fight Against Russian Aggression”
When the book was first published in the middle of the pandemic in 2021, there was only an emergent acknowledgement of the real threat posed by Russian "active measures" and espionage to Western interests. Though I devoted an entire section to Ukraine called "New Berlin", I could not have foretold how much the world would change only a year later, on 24 February 2022...
Monday, September 25, 2023
Disrupting Time: Industrial Combat, Espionage, and...
Tuesday, August 15, 2023
"Wireman" by Pat Spatfore (book)
The former president and chief executive officer of Secure Communications Service Inc., has completed his new book, “Wireman”: a revealing memoir that gives readers an inside look into a career in law enforcement.
Author Pat Spatafore served in the U.S. Navy as a communications technician and has been a sworn member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. His specialties include electronic surveillance, criminal investigations, and security administration.
Mr. Spatafore worked for a District Attorney’s Office located in New York State and served as a criminal investigator, a senior criminal investigator, and director of the district attorney’s Narcotics Initiative Task Force, retiring at the rank of deputy chief criminal investigator. He was responsible for electronic surveillance and criminal investigations. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master’s degree. more
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West (book)
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
David B. Watts - New Book - Shines the Light on a Serious Subject
As if ripped from today’s headlines, Sex and Souls for Sale is a relevant read. No less a public menace than illegal drugs—nor any other kind of organized crime—child sex trafficking is a fact of life and needs to be discussed and exposed. While difficult to comprehend, it is found right here in modern America.
Private Investigators “Mack” Mackey and Bob Higgins are once again on the case as they thread the needle between law enforcement and a Russian crime family.
Our principal characters are flawed: a corrupt police lieutenant, a conman and extortionist with a chip on his shoulder, and his girlfriend, a reformed drug addict with a mysteriously checkered past. All three dig deep within themselves to rescue the children.
Come along on this perilous trip through the criminal underworld set in the New York/New Jersey Area and learn about this shocking crime: child sex trafficking.
----
Other books by David B. Watts:
• Accidental P.I. – A Private Investigator’s Fifty-year Search for the Facts.• Loose Ends – Murder in the New Jersey Suburbs.• The Dementia Conspiracy – Where Crime and Corporate Interests Meet.
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
NFL Espionage Book Released Today - "Spies on the Sidelines"
ABOUT THE BOOK
Spies on the Sidelines details the collection techniques NFL teams utilize to gather information about their opponents in order to gain a game day advantage, as well as the countermeasures used to defend against these. The book spans the entire history of the league and contains anecdotes from each and every NFL team.
ORDERING INFORMATION
If you still haven’t ordered Spies on the Sidelines (perhaps you’ve been waiting for just this day), here’s how to get yourself a copy—and don’t forget the book makes a great gift for the football fans in your life too.
Hardcover: The hard cover version is most easily purchased through Amazon (as everyone already has an account) but can also be bought through the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield (www.rowman.com), and there is a 30% discount with the code RLFANDF30 if the book is ordered from their website. Other options are also available at www.SpiesOnTheSidelines.com.
E-book: The e-book version can be found at Amazon, Rowman & Littlefield, and Apple Books.
Audio book: Unfortunately it's not quite available. The plan is to have it out by 1 September 2022.
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
In The Listeners, Brian Hochman Details History of Eavesdropping (Book Review)
America's first wiretapping conviction happened in 1864. A stockbroker named D.C. Williams had been tapping a telegraph line in California to get corporate information, which he used for advantageous stock trades. The law he broke had been passed two years earlier, making California the first state to regulate wiretapping.
The telephone had not been invented yet, and the transcontinental telegraph had only just been completed. The Golden State's legislators were ahead of the game. Ever since then, legislation dealing with electronic surveillance has been playing catch-up—both with the technology and with public sentiment. more
Thursday, September 23, 2021
NFL Spying Book in the Works
A NON FICTION BOOK BY KEVIN BRYANT
After the NFL’s Spygate controversy, involving the New England Patriots illicitly recording the defensive signals of the New York Jets in 2007, NFL fans and pundits alike struggled to answer a lingering question: Were the Patriots the only team spying on their opponents or was espionage a commonplace activity in the NFL?
Everyone had an opinion, but few could offer more than a gut feeling to back up their claims and for good reason...
Well, that was before. Spies on the Sidelines shines a light on the shadowy world of NFL espionage and exposes the full range of collection techniques teams use to spy on their opponents, as well as the defensive countermeasures that are used to defend against these threats. more
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Spymaster’s Prism by Jack Devine (book)
In Spymaster’s Prism the legendary former spymaster Jack Devine details the unending struggle with Russia and its intelligence agencies as it works against our national security.
Devine tells this story through the unique perspective of a seasoned CIA professional who served more than three decades, some at the highest levels of the agency. He uses his gimlet-eyed view to walk us through the fascinating spy cases and covert action activities of Russia, not only through the Cold War past but up to and including its interference in the Trump era. Devine also looks over the horizon to see what lies ahead in this struggle and provides prescriptions for the future.
- Hardcover : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1640123784
- ISBN-13 : 978-1640123786
- Item Weight : 1.74 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.98 x 9.02 inches
- Publisher : Potomac Books (March 1, 2021)
- Language: : English
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Chinese Spies: from Chairman Mao to Xi Jinping (book)
Roger Faligot, an investigative journalist who specializes in studying intelligence agencies, first published Chinese spies in French. It proved so successful that he recently had a significantly expanded version translated into English - Chinese spies: from Chairman Mao to Xi Jinping.
Faligot’s ambitious book spans a century of Chinese espionage, from the beginnings of the Chinese Communist Party to the Xi Jinping era...
Faligot’s ground-breaking book is essential reading for both
intelligence professionals and generalists seeking to understand the
reach of China’s hidden hand. Given rapid technological developments,
one can only hope that Faligot is working on a follow-up volume. more
Monday, December 14, 2020
John le Carré - RIP
John le Carré, whose exquisitely nuanced, intricately plotted Cold War thrillers elevated the spy novel to high art by presenting both Western and Soviet spies as morally compromised cogs in a rotten system full of treachery, betrayal and personal tragedy, died on Saturday in Cornwall, England. He was 89. (Born David John Moore Cornwell in Poole, Dorset, on Oct. 19, 1931.) more
Sunday, November 1, 2020
The Modern Detective: How Corporate Intelligence Is Reshaping the World
Tyler Maroney has written The Modern Detective, in which he reflects on a two-decade career as a PI, detailing his pursuit of corporate fraudsters, missions to conduct due diligence for blockbuster mergers and acquisitions, and even how he helped free an innocent man from prison...
"Private detectives are brought into projects throughout the entire life cycle of a company’s existence."Maroney seeks to demystify the job of private investigators and debunk myths ingrained from television and pulp fiction. He argues that the modern detective is a vital cog in corporate life and can be a force for good in society. more
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Two FREE Security Book Offers for Potential Clients
Free books are a great way to get to know who you are dealing with, before you decide to deal with them!
---
While international travel has come to a screeching halt due to COVID-19, the threat of economic and industrial espionage continues to proliferate.
In fact, due to the global pandemic, intellectual property (IP) and business intelligence (BI) is more valuable than ever to foreign governments and business competitors, looking to gain an economic advantage in the marketplace.
Among Enemies: Counter-Espionage for the Business Traveler, by Luke Bencie, is a valuable textbook. It should be read by, "corporate executives, defense contractors, lawyers, academics, military personnel, diplomats and virtually anyone else who travels with important information, how to protect their themselves and their interests."
It has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating on Amazon, and 25 excellent reviews. You may purchase a copy there. Visit Luke's website (smiconsultancy.com/) first. If his services can help your organization, request a complimentary copy.
---
This informative bundle should also be on every security director's desk...
Is My Cell Phone Bugged?: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Mobile Conversations Private (Coincidentally, This book also has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating on Amazon, and 25 excellent reviews.)
The Security Director's Guide to Discussing TSCM with Management
Both are available to Murray Associates potential clients. Complimentary. No obligation. No follow-up sales call unless you request it.
Visit counterespionage.com to learn how to detect and deter electronic surveillance and corporate espionage. Click here to request you complimentary bundle.
Accurate knowledge is the first step in protecting your privacy and valuable information. Contact us through our websites, today. (offer expires 10/31/2020)
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Security Scrapbook Flashback: September 1, 1998
Security Scrapbook Extra - Internet Privacy and Security
Tue, 01 Sep 1998
Review from the September 1998 issue of PC World magazine...
by Jeffrey Rothfeder
Medical histories, bank balances, even unlisted phone numbers--the details of your life are brokered online every day. "Privacy is like clean air," says Kevin Murray, who runs Murray Associates, a New Jersey–based firm that sweeps clients' offices for bugs and other surveillance equipment. "At one time there was plenty of it. Now it's almost gone."
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Eavesdropping: A Reader (book)
The earliest references to eavesdropping are found in law books.
According to William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England (1769), 'eavesdroppers, or such as listen under walls or windows, or the eaves of a house, to hearken after discourse, and thereupon to frame slanderous and mischievous tales, are a common nuisance and presentable at the court-leet'.
Today, however, eavesdropping is not only legal, it's ubiquitous – unavoidable. What was once a minor public-order offence has become one of the key political and legal problems of our time, as the Snowden revelations made clear.
Eavesdropping addresses the capture and control of our sonic world by state and corporate interests, alongside strategies of resistance. For editors James Parker (Melbourne Law School) and Joel Stern (Liquid Architecture), eavesdropping isn't necessarily malicious.
We cannot help but hear too much, more than we mean to. Eavesdropping is a condition of social life. And the question is not whether to eavesdrop, therefore, but how. buy or free (pdf)
Friday, August 7, 2020
1650 Kircher Musurgia Listening Devices
Vol. 2 (Af-x.10): plate between pages 302 & 303 |
The illustration depicts a piazza-listening device.
The voices from the piazza are taken by the horn up through the mouth of the statue in the room on the piano nobile above, allowing both espionage and the appearance of a miraculous event. more
The modern eavesdropping equivalent is the ventilation plenum. Acoustical ducting is something most people don't consider when concerned about eavesdropping. We do.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Agribusiness Espionage: The Scientist and the Spy
Bollman raced to the scene, a little northeast of Des Moines, where he talked to a farmer who had spotted the odd figure in the field. A few minutes later, Bollman had pulled over an SUV driven by Robert Mo, a Chinese national.
So begins one of the most unexpected stories of espionage ever told—in this case, by Minnesota journalist Mara Hvistendahl in her new book, “The Scientist and the Spy.”
Sunday, April 19, 2020
"The Warehouse" by Rob Hart (book)
"A chilling and all-too-believable portrait of a not-so-far-off future where free will succumbs to big business."--Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Better Sister
more
The Machine Never Blinks: A Graphic History of Spying and Surveillance (book)
This book spans surveillance from the Trojan Horse, through 9/11 and to the so-called War on Terror, which enabled the exponential growth of government and corporate intercepts and databases.
It also explains spying as entertainment (reality TV) and convenience (smart speakers). Take a look around... Who's watching you right now? Black & white illustrations. more