People Are REALLY Mad at These AI Glasses That Record Everything Constantly

Users on social media have responded with horror and outrage to a pair of smart glasses developed by a startup called Halo that its creators, a pair of Harvard dropouts, claim will feed you live AI-powered insights while logging and transcribing every conversation you take part in. So transformative will it prove to the human brain, the twenty-something-year-old inventors promise, that wearers will soon be not just thinking, but "vibe thinking."

Many were quick to raise alarm over the obvious nightmare this would be for personal privacy — not just for the wearers, crucially, but anyone they interact with. more

Eavesdropping Prevention: Acoustical Leakage Attenuator - Stick it Up Your Air Duct

The Phase Gradient Ultra-Open Metamaterial developed at Boston University has the potential to solve a long-standing problem in acoustics.

A new breakthrough from the Zhang Lab at Boston University is making waves in the world of sound control...making the technology viable in new environments such as factories, offices, and public spaces, where diverse and unpredictable sound frequencies are common and airflow remains essential.

Their latest advance centers on broadband silencing...the use of phase-gradient metamaterials, giving rise to the Phase Gradient Ultra-Open Metamaterial (PGUOM).

“PGUOM takes a smarter approach — more like noise-canceling headphones — effectively silencing a broadband of unwanted sounds,” said Zhang. “It remains highly effective even as the noise shifts in pitch or volume, making it far more practical in dynamic settings like open offices, ventilation systems, or transportation hubs, where sound sources are unpredictable and span a wide range of frequencies.” more

The Arduino Bug - Want to make one?

In this project, we are going to build an audio bug using Arduino and NRF24L01. 

This audio spy bug is highly customizable and can be easily integrated with other devices and systems. The NRF24L01 module allows transmission over specific channel, ensuring that our transmissions remain private up to a level. 

This device is perfect for monitoring a baby room, keeping an eye on a pet, or even for professional surveillance. With its small size and easy portability, this audio spy bug is a must-have for anyone in need of discreet and reliable audio recording. more  video

Our variation on the theme... more

Priyom: An International Short Wave Spy Numbers Organization You Can Join

Priyom.org is an international organization intending to research and bring to light the mysterious reality of intelligence, military and diplomatic communication via shortwave radio: number stations.

Cartoon from 1973 about government spies. So, grab your short wave radio and track back!

You can live in a spy movie if...

...you’ve got some cash sitting around: 

British underwater jetpack maker CudaJet has done what you’d expect an underwater jetpack maker to do: they made an underwater jetpack.

 The 31-pound hands-free, backpack-like device, which is made to order and starts at ~$31k, will help rich people live out their dolphin dreams — diving 130+ feet down and propelling them forward 7 mph at a time. 

CudaJet says it comes with a controller and that it all takes five minutes to get comfortable with it. more

The Farmhouse Spy

A simple farmhouse and a mysterious dish set the stage for a real-world spy thriller. When French counterintelligence spotted that setup, they realised someone was tapping into high-value space communications.

The homeowner, Dong H., was no ordinary resident. A former employee of Beijing’s Academy of Science and Technology and president of Stahd Europe—a subsidiary of Emposat, the Chinese communications specialist—she had all the credentials for espionage. Emposat’s failed bid to install a ground station in the Czech Republic underscored how wary governments are of hidden antennas.

French investigators couldn’t prove data theft outright, but they confirmed the dish was finely tuned to CNES frequencies. Instead of a raid, authorities filed legal charges for illegal antenna installation, quietly dismantling the operation. Dong’s rural hideout shows how easy it can be to set up covert surveillance right under everyone’s nose. more

FutureWatch: As You Distort Wi-Fi Space You Become Identifiable

Wi-Fi networks could soon track you without devices, as Italian researchers harness signal distortions to create unique biometric identifiers...

Researchers in Italy have shown that even ordinary Wi-Fi signals can be used to track people, without needing them to carry any device at all.

A team from La Sapienza University of Rome has developed a system called ‘WhoFi,’ which can generate a unique biometric identifier based on how a person’s body interacts with surrounding Wi-Fi signals. WhoFi can identify people within a Wi-Fi area with an accuracy of 95.5%.

The approach, described in a preprint paper, uses signal distortions caused by the human body to re-identify individuals as they move across spaces covered by different Wi-Fi networks.

More information: Danilo Avola et al, WhoFi: Deep Person Re-Identification via Wi-Fi Channel Signal Encoding, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2507.12869

Roach Coach for Spy Tech

Spy Cockroaches and AI Robots...

Germany plots the future of warfare.

Sven Weizenegger, who heads up the Cyber Innovation hub, the Bundeswehr's innovation accelerator, said the war in Ukraine was also changing social attitudes, removing a stigma towards working in the defence sector. "Germany has developed a whole new openness towards the issue of security since the invasion," he said.

Some of the ideas under development feel akin to science fiction – like Swarm Biotactics' cyborg cockroaches that are equipped with specialised miniature backpacks that enable real-time data collection via cameras for example...

"Our bio-robots - based on living insects - are equipped with neural stimulation, sensors, and secure communication modules," said CEO Stefan Wilhelm. "They can be steered individually or operate autonomously in swarms...

"We just need to get to this mindset: a strong defense industrial base means a strong economy and innovation on steroids," said Markus Federle, managing partner at defence-focused investment firm Tholus Capital. more

FutureWatch: Spy-Grade Storage Drive

...self-destructs on demand just like in the movies!

It's not every day that you come across a product where the standout feature is its ability to go kaput at a moment's notice. 

That's exactly what the Team Group P250Q SSD (solid state drive) is all about. This industrial storage drive for computers and servers can physically destroy itself at the push of a button, so your secrets go up in smoke before they fall into the wrong hands...

The nuclear option involves a patented independent destruction circuit that overloads the flash memory chip, melting it in the process.  more  video

FutureWatch: Reachy Mini, tiny new open-source robot leading the DIY robot revolution

Remember when robots were either million-dollar factory arms or creepy Boston Dynamics videos that made you question humanity's future? Well, Hugging Face and Pollen Robotics just released Reachy Mini, a desktop robot that costs less than most people's monthly grocery bill, and might be the most adorable little robot we’ve ever seen. more

What has this to do with spying?
Reachy Mini is an 11-inch tall, open-source robot that you can program in Python right out of the box. Think of it as the friendly cousin of those intimidating industrial robots, but one that actually wants to hang out on your desk and maybe help with your coding projects. video

You are witnessing the beginning of AI, super-smart, open-source, programmable, internet communications capable, devices which will become commonplace home/office devices. And we thought the Internet of Things presented security and privacy problems. Just wait.

Secret Recordings are on the Rise

Divorcees spying on exes, perverted landlords and staff wanting to know their next pay rise are among those making secret recordings using bugs hidden in everyday items, an expert has warned.

Spy cameras and listening devices obscured in phone chargers, photo frames, alarm clocks, mirrors, plug sockets, pens and smoke alarms are available in huge numbers on mainstream sites including Amazon and eBay.

One bug sweeping specialist told MailOnline that recording devices contained in plug sockets used for USB mobile phone chargers were particularly popular with snoopers because 'no one is going to suspect them'.  more

Want to protect your business from electronic surveillance? Click HERE for some good information.

Dual Purpose AI - Personal Secretary / Eavesdropping Spy

New Voice Recorders are getting smarter, thinner, more feature-packed and more easily hidden.

This particular device can record for 30 hours and AI summarizes the interesting things it hears in about 30 seconds. P.S. It can also record cell phone calls.

The eavesdropping potential is obvious. Recognizing this device, not so obvious, hence all the pictures below. This is another good reason businesses have a professional TSCM team sweep their offices regularly. 

Understand what this does if you see one at your next meeting. Keep in mind that it also may be in someone's pocket. 

Spybuster Tip: Become suspicious if the person you are talking to seems to be fishing for you to say something incriminating, or they are trying to repeat a contentious previous conversation. They are likely recording you.

PCMag review

Four Cool Spy Cameras for Sale

Vintage Cameras & Lenses | Coeln Cameras

I am very glad to offer my 30 years of experience with vintage cameras to provide my knowledge in the field for valuations and appraisals. Whether you are looking for advice regarding sale or would like to receive an appraisal for a single camera or an entire collection, I am happy to provide my expertise to you.
Yours,
Peter Coeln

Rare watch camera with yellow wrist-strap, Steineck 2.5/12.5mm lens, in very fine and working condition, matching original presentation case, red maker's box, instructions, warranty card - very hard to find so complete.
Steineck 

A.-B.-C Watch Camera
Condition: B+
Year: c.1949

$2,878.21

Small all-metal box camera for 12 exposures on special cassettes, with cloth focal plane shutter - in near mint condition. With film, leather case and original box.
Expo Camera Co., NY
Police Camera
Condition: A/B
Year: c.1920
$1,067.34

6x6mm images on 8mm perforated film for 20 exposures, diamond pattern gold finish, fixed focus lens, 2-speed shutter for instant and bulb exposure, engraved 'OTV' (Osaka Television), in balsa wood box with orig. maker's printed instruction leaflet, film rolls, case. The extremely rare camera was never sold to public, it was a special present for the first Anniversary of Osaka Television.
Suzuki Optical Co.
Camera-Lite B Gold
Condition: B
Year: 1955
$2,878.21

The Watch Camera was manufactured by J. Lancaster & Son of Birmingham, from 1886 to 1900. It was patented on October 4th, 1886, patent no. 12571. It was constructed of engine turned metal with nickel plating. Designed to look like a pocket watch and easily carried in a waistcoat pocket. It was a self erecting camera which expanded six spring-loaded telescoping tubes when opened to form the bellows of the camera. It featured an internal meniscus lens. The offered camera is the later model with drop shutter. Men's model for 1 1/2x2' plates, with original filmholder, the extremely rare camera is in fine original condition.
Lancaster 
Watch Camera Men's Model
Condition: B
Year: 1890
$26,383.61

Weird Spy Science: Watch Watches Computer

A new research paper proposes an unusual method of data exfiltration from air-gapped systems using smartwatches.

The concept, created by researchers from Ben-Gurion University, sounds like something out of a spy thriller, but the details reveal just how technically complex and narrowly feasible such an attack would be.

The method, dubbed “SmartAttack,” relies on exploiting the microphone of a compromised smartwatch to receive ultrasonic signals from an infected air-gapped computer.

These ultrasonic transmissions operate between 18 and 22 kHz, just above the range of human hearing, and can carry data such as keystrokes or biometric information at up to 50 bits per second over distances of at least six meters.

For any part of the attack to work, multiple difficult steps must already be accomplished. (Whew!) more

Behold The Amazing "AIR" Key

AIR, a joke acronym for “Anti InfraRed.”

However, just a blast of compressed air can open most card-key access entry doors in commercial buildings. 

Compressed air does this by tricking the internal exit sensor into thinking someone wants to leave. 

Click the link to learn more and actually watch how anyone can B&E without a key. https://counterespionage.com/lock-trick/

P.S. - We creatively labeled these cans for our clients so they can demonstrate the vulnerability to their colleagues. Of course, we also provide them with security solutions to rectify the problem. 

You really should join our client family. It's easy. Just add our TSCM inspections to your security program. 

Türkiye: China Is Spying on Uyghurs Using Fake Cell Towers

Turkish intelligence has dismantled a Chinese espionage network operating on its soil. This network had been conducting surveillance on Uyghur refugees as well as Turkish officials using advanced technology, particularly fake mobile towers.

Earlier this month, Turkish intelligence agents arrested seven suspects and discovered their vehicles outfitted with IMSI-catcher devices. These devices, which emulate genuine base stations, can intercept data, call logs, conversations, and other sensitive information from nearby mobile phones.

Intelligence sources indicate that some members of this espionage ring entered Türkiye as recently as March. However, a report last week disclosed that the network has been operational for the previous five years. more

FutureWatch / Spytech: Contact Lenses Allow Seeing in the Dark, Even With Eyes Closed

Neuroscientists and materials scientists have created contact lenses that enable infrared vision in both humans and mice by converting infrared light into visible light. 

Unlike infrared night vision goggles, the contact lenses, described in the journal Cell, do not require a power source—and they enable the wearer to perceive multiple infrared wavelengths. Because they're transparent, users can see both infrared and visible light simultaneously, though infrared vision was enhanced when participants had their eyes closed.

"Our research opens up the potential for noninvasive wearable devices to give people super-vision," says senior author Tian Xue, a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China. "There are many potential applications right away for this material. For example, flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings." more

The Cold War Spy Technology Which We All Use

From: The Thing (aka The Great Seal Bug), to RFID cardkeys and tap-to-pay credit cards.

Moscow, 4 August, 1945. The European chapter of World War Two was over, and the US and the USSR were pondering their future relationship. 

At the American embassy, a group of boys from the Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union made a charming gesture of friendship between the two superpowers. 

They presented a large, hand-carved ceremonial seal of the United States of America to Averell Harriman, the US ambassador. It was later to become known simply as The Thing. 

Naturally, Harriman's office would have checked the heavy wooden ornament for electronic bugs, but with neither wires nor batteries in evidence, what harm could it do? more & much more

GPS Trackers: Under Cover & Under the Hood

If you are inspecting you vehicle for covert GPS trackers do not overlook these.

They are disguised to look like legitimate vehicle parts.

You can view all 38 photos here.

FutureWatch: Apple is Developing AirPods with Cameras

Apple is ‘actively developing’ a version of AirPods with integrated cameras. This tech is unlikely to make an appearance in AirPods Pro 3, which are expected to debut this year – but nonetheless, it’s in the pipeline. Apple wants your AirPods to better understand your environment, but why?
Visual Intelligence integration

With the iPhone 16 lineup, Apple introduced Camera Control. This new button is great for taking photos and adjusting camera settings, but it also unlocked a new feature: Visual Intelligence.

Visual Intelligence is a powerful tool that helps users learn about the world around them, and allows users to take action based on the physical context around them. You can add an event flyer to your calendar, for example, or tap into the power of ChatGPT or Google to help learn about something you don’t understand. more