Show "Who's Side You Are On" T-Shirt

The Electronic Frontier Foundation brought back their popular NSA Spying shirts for the first time since 2013, with an updated EFF logo and design. more

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. EFF's mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world.

FutureWatch - What the Well-Dressed Spy Will be Wearing

 ...SMART e-PANTS

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is throwing $22 million in taxpayer money at developing clothing that records audio, video, and location data.

THE FUTURE OF wearable technology, beyond now-standard accessories like smartwatches and fitness tracking rings, is ePANTS, according to the intelligence community.

The federal government has shelled out at least $22 million in an effort to develop “smart” clothing that spies on the wearer and its surroundings. Similar to previous moonshot projects funded by military and intelligence agencies, the inspiration may have come from science fiction and superpowers, but the basic applications are on brand for the government: surveillance and data collection.

Billed as the “largest single investment to develop Active Smart Textiles,” the SMART ePANTS — Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems — program aims to develop clothing capable of recording audio, video, and geolocation data, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced in an August 22 press release. Garments slated for production include shirts, pants, socks, and underwear, all of which are intended to be washable. more

Next up... Stylish wear by Faraday.

Odd-Ball Spy News

Fifth of Government Workers Don't Care if Employer is Hacked

(Probably true for all businesses.)

Ivanti, the security vendor polled 800 public sector workers worldwide to compile its new Government Cybersecurity Status Report. It found a “not my job” attitude is exposing governments to excessive cyber-risk. Just a third (34%) of workers recognized that their actions impact their organization’s security posture. Nearly two-fifths (36%) said they haven’t reported phishing emails in the past, while a fifth (21%) said they don’t even care if the organization is hacked. more (This may help.)

Extra Credit: Seven years ago this month... Survey revealed 1 in 5 employees would sell their passwords.

Sweaters That Fool Facial Recognition

Protect your facial biometric data with knit wear? As absurd as that sounds, designer Rachele Didero, of the Italian startup Cap_able, has patented textiles that do just that. The patterns trick facial-recognition cameras into thinking it's not looking at a person. The pieces in the Manifesto Collection which include sweaters, pants, a dress, and a shirt, start at ~$300.

The idea has been around for a while.

Cheaper alternate designs; some with next day delivery!

Famed Manhattan Showroom Loses Peephole Camera Appeal
Manhattan appeals court on Thursday revived the brunt of a lawsuit against the renowned New York Design Center over a video camera... Cast your mind back to 2014... A camera hidden in the wall of a ladies' room at the New York Design Center secretly documented customers and employees for a month, a new lawsuit alleges. According to court documents obtained by the Post, the camera was found behind a broken wall tile on the sixth floor bathroom in April; the custodian who discovered it said it was trained on one of the stalls. more

Who Is Anthony Pellicano?
Infamous Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano is the subject of a new documentary Sin Eater: The Crimes of Anthony Pellicano. The two-part special debuts on March 10 at 10 p.m. on FX and will stream on Hulu. Pellicano...gained a reputation as a fixer who could dig up dirt on his clients’ enemies to make them go away. But Pellicano’s ruthless methods were eventually his undoing, as he served extensive prison time for weapons charges as well as racketeering, wiretapping, and other crimes. more & as previously reported here.

Chinese Rocket that Delivered Military Spy Satellites Breaks Up Over Texas
The second stage of a Chinese rocket that delivered a trio of military surveillance satellites in June disintegrated over Texas on Wednesday, USNI News has learned. The four-ton component of a Chang Zheng 2D ‘Long March’ rocket punched through the atmosphere on Wednesday over Texas at 17,000 miles per hour and disintegrated, two defense officials confirmed to USNI News on Thursday... The debris field is over the least populated counties in the state, according to the Texas Demographic Center. more

The 10 Best Spy Movies That Aren't James Bond
When it comes to pure action-packed entertainment, few genres serve up as many thrills as spy movies. Spy films have been a mainstay of cinema all the way back to the medium's earliest days, like 1914's silent film The German Spy Peril. The genre kicked into high gear during the Cold War... more

SafeHouse Chicago, Spy-Themed Restaurant and Bar, Abruptly Closes
After six years of catering to secret agents and curious spies across Chicago, a spy-themed establishment has closed its doors. SafeHouse Chicago, a restaurant and bar featuring all things espionage-related, announced its abrupt closure online Monday, saying the business has "completed its last mission in Chicago." "We want to thank all of the spies who visited our Windy City headquarters and for your loyalty and support. It has been an absolute pleasure to welcome and serve spies from around the globe," SafeHouse said, in part, in a message posted on its website. more

Spybusters Tip #692: Head to Milwaukee. Best kept secret since 1966.

SOS (and more) With the Touch of a Finger

An electronic chip under your fingernail veneer, or anywhere else you care to hide it. 

It seems like spy tech. It is actually just NFC radio-transmission tech; same as when you hold your credit card near the payment terminal instead of swiping or plugging it in. 

The list of practical uses is long. The list of nefarious uses I leave to your imagination.

Virtual Call - Through the IoT Cloud Nail Chip, when you are in an Awkward Situation, you can quickly Schedule a Scheduled Virtual Call through your beautiful Fingertips and customize the reason for leaving. It is the best way to get out. At a critical moment, you can quickly ask for help by touching your mobile phone with your Fingertips, giving yourself more security. 

Information Sharing - Share Various cloud information with friends, such as importing mobile phone electronic business cards, sharing shopping website links, and downloading online disk files. more

Snopes Fact Checks Spy Shoes Story

For the last few years at least, an image has been circulating on the internet containing a bright yellow pair of shoes with lifted heels where the toes should go. The image was often shared alongside commentary that the shoes were warn by spies, who used them to throw would-be spy hunters off their trail.

We were unable to locate the original photograph, but there is no evidence that the pictured shoes were worn by real spies, during World War II or any other time.

We reached out to the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., asking whether the shoes look like anything that could have plausibly been worn by real spies... more

PI & Security Director Alert - Camera Smartband for Apple Watch

A dream for professional investigators.
A nightmare for security directors.
The Apple watch band wristcam!

The scoop...
• Apple MFi-Certified Modular Camera Smartband for Apple Watch,
• 42mm-44mm, Black,
• TWO CAMERAS: 8MP + 2MP, 4K Photo, 1080p Video,
• 2 Microphones (underwater support for water adventures)
• 8GB Storage, WiFi, Bluetooth 5,
• IP68 Water Resistant

"Now you can go without your phone, and use your Apple Watch to capture 4K photo, 1080p video, and even video live chat with the Wristcam App." more

Spy Tech - Facebook and Rayban (Possibly Raybanned in some locales)

The first thing you'll notice about Facebook’s new camera glasses is that they are not called Facebook Glasses — they are called Ray-Ban Stories. This is because they are made in partnership with Ray-Ban (a cool company that no one hates), and Facebook has had a rough couple of years in the public eye. And “Stories” because, you know, Instagram stories and Facebook stories and also Snapchat "story,"

...the real danger here isn’t to your data — it’s the fact that you’re walking around wearing barely perceptible spy glasses, taking videos and photos of anyone you want, likely without them noticing...

If the idea of camera sunglasses seems familiar, perhaps that’s because it sounds like Snapchat Spectacles, which launched in 2016. In what I can only imagine is a loving tribute, Facebook has named its camera sunglasses “Stories” after the other signature product that Facebook/Instagram lifted from Snapchat. more

Tech stuff: "Dual 5MP camera gives your content new depth and dimension. Takes high resolution photos (2592x1944 pixels) and quality video (1184x1184 pixels at 30 frames per second)."

Not as dorky as past creepy-peepies, these glasses may not be recognized as spy glasses at first glance. (Maybe a Buddy Holly or Maurice Moss meets Zuck mash-up instead.) In fact, "Facebook says it's a violation of the Terms of Service to cover up the light that comes on when you're recording." Right, like that's gonna work. Additionally, "Facebook is discussing building facial recognition into its upcoming smart glasses product..." What could possibly go wrong? more

Stay Safe - Stay Feeling Good

This fun statement can be taken several ways...

• Anti Covid-19
• I'm not feeling very social right now!
• A warning to spies that you are protected against electronic surveillance. 

Available here.

Want to know more about protecting your privacy?
Visit us at https://counterespionage.com

How Not to be Seen - Evading CCTV Surveillance

It's theoretically possible to become invisible to cameras. But can it catch on? 



Right now, you're more than likely spending the vast majority of your time at home. Someday, however, we will all be able to leave the house once again and emerge, blinking, into society to work, travel, eat, play, and congregate in all of humanity's many bustling crowds.

The world, when we eventually enter it again, is waiting for us with millions of digital eyes—cameras, everywhere, owned by governments and private entities alike. Pretty much every state out there has some entity collecting license plate data from millions of cars—parked or on the road—every day. Meanwhile all kinds of cameras—from police to airlines, retailers, and your neighbors' doorbells—are watching you every time you step outside, and unscrupulous parties are offering facial recognition services with any footage they get their hands on.

In short, it's not great out there if you're a person who cares about privacy, and it's likely to keep getting worse. In the long run, pressure on state and federal regulators to enact and enforce laws that can limit the collection and use of such data is likely to be the most efficient way to effect change. But in the shorter term, individuals have a conundrum before them: can you go out and exist in the world without being seen?

Bottom line as of now...
All of the digital simulations run on the cloak worked with 100-percent effectiveness, he added. But in the real world, "the reliability degrades." The tech has room for improvement.

"How good can they get? Right now I think we're still at the prototype stage," he told Ars. "You can produce these things that, when you wear them in some situations, they work. It's just not reliable enough that I would tell people, you know, you can put this on and reliably evade surveillance." more

How to Drive Artificial Intelligence Surveillance Cameras Nuts

In order to deceive surveillance cameras, a fashion designer and hacker has developed a new clothing line that allows people camouflage themselves as a car in the recordings.

The garments are also covered with license plate images that trigger automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, to inject junk data into systems used to monitor and track civilians. more

Electronic Footprint Army Boots Discovered

Hamas-run security forces at the Kerem Shalom crossing in the Gaza Strip have seized a shipment of army boots outfitted with tracking devices, Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu reported on Saturday, citing a security source in the coastal enclave.

Hamas security forces were carrying out “a precise inspection of the tracking devices in order to… understand how they work,” the security source said. more

Looks like the same technology as shoplifting tags and card-keys. Clever.

Thanks to our Canadian Blue Blaze irregular for spotting this one!

Happy New Year! It's 1984 ...in 2019

Students at more than 10 schools in Guizhou Province, one of China’s poorest provinces, and the neighboring Guangxi region are now required to wear “intelligent uniforms,” which are embedded with electronic chips that track their movements.

The uniforms allow school officials, teachers, and parents to keep track of the exact times that students leave or enter the school, Lin Zongwu, principal of the No. 11 School of Renhuai in Guizhou Province, told the state-run newspaper Global Times on Dec. 20.

If students skip school without permission, an alarm will be triggered.

If students try to game the system by swapping uniforms, an alarm also will sound, as facial-recognition equipment stationed at the school entrance can match a student’s face with the chip embedded in the uniform. more

FutureWatch: Chips embedded in the students.

TSCM, or This Smells Characteristicly Moronic

Pakistan’s security agencies have not found anything suspicious in Chetna Jadhav’s shoes that were confiscated by the Pakistani agencies...

Sources said that Pakistan’s agencies minutely examined her shoes, searching for spying devices.

However, nothing could be found and Pakistan is now likely to attribute this “incident” to an over-enthusiastic security official...

Sources said that the Pakistan Foreign Office was having a hard time dealing with the “concocted” tale of Jadhav’s wife carrying a spying device in her shoe, as it was not being able to answer the questions of local journalists who were asking about the nature of the “spying device” allegedly recovered and why details of the same were not being shared with them. more

Give them a break. Perhaps they misinterpreted the acronym written inside the shoe. TSCM and TGIF look somewhat similar, but TGIF stands for Toes Go In First.

The Secret Shoe, or The Bonded Sole

(via maxim.com)
We're not suggesting that you infiltrate an enemy's ranks to take down a hostile foreign power, but if you ever want to dabble in some international espionage, have we got the shoe for you.

A dressy Derby Shoe made from fine deerskin may seem less critical than a working knowledge of close quarters combat or Russian. Still, "The Secret Shoe" from Oliver Sweeney is here to satisfy all your covert spy needs... and then some.

The luxury footwear provider teamed with VeryFirstTo.com to stash inside this unsuspecting-looking shoe two hidden compartments that can each hold three gadgets at a time.

Derby Shoe has provided 12 for you to pick from: the world's smallest phone, a tiny video camera, a mini Swiss army knife, a tracking device, a money capsule, "the world's most advanced contactless payment ring" and more.

There's also room for a house key.

Click to enlarge.

Another badass feature you'll make use of if you're ever zip-tied and about to be tossed off a helicopter (there's a chance) is the laces. They're made of Kevlar, which means they can double as a friction saw that's strong enough to cut through wood and plastic. more

If your organization isn't picking up the tab for this, you'll probably be interested in the selling price. $1307.50

Still interested?

That's $1307.50 
...per shoe. ~Kevin

Anti-Surveillance Sunglasses – Q Would Be Proud

via... digitaltrends.com
...there’s a new set of spectacles on Kickstarter that might help you bamboozle even the most sophisticated facial recognition tech.

The Eko shades, as they’re called, are rimmed with a type of retro-reflective material that bounces light back to exactly where it came from. Most surfaces reflect light by diffusing or scattering it in all directions, but this material is specially designed to reflect light back at the exact same angle as it arrived.

If caught in flash photography, retro-reflective material will send most of the light back to the camera’s sensor. This will put the dynamic range of the camera’s sensor to the test, and likely result in an image that’s underexposed for everything but the rims of your glasses.

Of course, this won’t help much for any camera that doesn’t require a flash, but it’s still a pretty interesting concept. more

...and the DIY hat to go with them!
1937 prototype anti-mind control device.
(Ok, who said, "Too late. She has already lost hers.")

FutureWatch: Cheap, difficult to detect, short-range, long-term bugs.

Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have pioneered a technique where everyday objects can be embedded with transmitters that piggyback ambient FM signals to send data to nearby smartphones and radios using almost no power. 

The technique makes used of backscattering, which is the reflection of waves, particles, or signals back in the direction they came from. The system uses a low-power reflector to encode specific audio or data on top of reflected signals from an existing FM broadcast, with the data sent on an adjacent band so as not to interrupt any current radio transmissions.

The key benefit of the technology is that it has an extraordinarily low level of power consumption, meaning that it can easily be incorporated into everyday objects at a low cost...



The antennas are made of thin copper tape and can be simply embedded into objects like advertising posters or articles of clothing. Initial demonstrations of the technique showed the total power consumption of a transmitter embedded into a poster to be as little as 11 microwatts – an output that could run uninterrupted off a small coin-cell battery for two years...

The UW team has produced two working proof-of-concept prototypes demonstrating the technology. The first was dubbed a "singing poster" that transmitted portions of a band's music to a smartphone up to 12 ft (3.6 m) away, or a car up to 60 ft (18 m) away.  more

FutureWatch: Cheap, difficult to detect, short-range, long-term bugs. The traditional police "wire" invisibly woven into undercover investigators' clothing.  ~Kevin

Odd-Ball - Anti Facial Recognition to Debut at Sundance Film Festival

HyperFace is a new kind of camouflage that aims to reduce the confidence score of facial detection and recognition by providing false faces that distract computer vision algorithms...

HyperFace will launch as a textile print at Sundance Film Festival on January 16, 2017.

Prototype

HyperFace works by providing maximally activated false faces based on ideal algorithmic representations of a human face. These maximal activations are targeted for specific algorithms. The prototype is specific to OpenCV’s default frontalface profile. Other patterns target convolutional nueral networks and HoG/SVM detectors... HyperFace reduces the confidence score of the true face (figure) by redirecting more attention to the nearby false face regions (ground).

Conceptually, HyperFace recognizes that completely concealing a face to facial detection algorithms remains a technical and aesthetic challenge. Instead of seeking computer vision anonymity through minimizing the confidence score of a true face, HyperFace offers a higher confidence score for a nearby false face by exploiting a common algorithmic preference for the highest confidence facial region.

In other words, if a computer vision algorithm is expecting a face, give it what it wants. more

Privacy Scarf Foils Paparazzi Pics

There's a stylish way to keep paparazzi at bay — the anti-flash scarf.

The ISHU scarf, created by 28-year-old Saif Siddiqui, is made from a special fabric that reflects light.

Siddiqui, who runs the London and Amsterdam-based company, told BuzzFeed that the scarf's purpose is to provide some privacy.

"The main intention is to make people aware of how important privacy actually is," he said. "Everyone has a 'brand' online, and with the ISHU Scarf, people are back in control of their privacy." more

Why an RFID-blocking Wallet is Something You Don't Need

via Roger A. Grimes
You don't need a tinfoil hat, either. Opportunists have exploited consumer fears to create an industry that doesn't need to exist...

(summary)

First and foremost, does your credit card actually have an RFID transmitter? The vast majority does not. Have you ever been told you can hold up your credit card to a wireless payment terminal, and without inserting your card, pay for something? For most of my friends, and the world in general, the answer is no...

If you look at the number of credit cards with RFID, you can’t even represent it statistically. It’s not 0 percent, but it’s so far below 1 percent that it might as well be 0 percent...

On top of that, most of the world is going to wireless payments using your mobile device...

But did that bad guy ever sit on the corner in the first place? Sure, I’ve seen the demos, but I’ve yet to hear of one criminal who was caught using an RFID sniffer or who admitted to stealing credit card info wirelessly. We know about all sorts of cyber crime. Why not the theft of RFID credit card information if the risk is so high?

Here's why: It would be a lousy use of a criminal mastermind’s time. Today’s smart criminals break into websites and steal hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of credit cards at a time. Why would a criminal go to the effort and expense of stealing credit card info one card at a time when you can steal a million in one shot?  more

This App Turns Your Smartwatch into an Eavesdropping Device

There are times when being able to easily record audio is a serious advantage in your day to day life. Whether that means you do it for work, school, or anything else, now you can easily do it with Wear Audio Recorder on your Android Wear device. Whether it's a short moment or a full meeting, this app has got you covered.

Wear Audio Recorder has a fantastic look that is both simple and stylish. Unsurprising when you realize that they're using Google's Material Design. On your Smart Watch, this app doesn't have a ton of features. What it does, it does well. Recording is as simple as opening the app, and tapping record. more

Why do I mention it?
So you will know what you're up against.