TX - The sheriff of Palo Pinto County has turned himself in on felony charges
of spying on his ex-girlfriend.
Ira Mercer is accused of using an electronic device to intercept his former girlfriend's communications. The indictment lists two incidents, one on Jan. 24, 2015 and again on Dec. 10, 2015...
He is not seeking re-election and his term ends at the end of the year. more
Shades of...
Former Lake Co. deputy accused of illegally recording ex-girlfriend
Showing posts with label police. Show all posts
Showing posts with label police. Show all posts
Friday, October 21, 2016
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Eye in Sky Surveillance - “Imagine Google Earth with TiVo capability.”
Baltimore, MD - Since January, police have been testing an aerial surveillance system adapted from the surge in Iraq.
[See excellent video report.]
A half block from the city’s central police station, in a spare office suite above a parking garage, Ross McNutt, the founder of Persistent Surveillance Systems, monitored the city...
Since this discreet arrangement began in January, it had felt like a make-or-break opportunity for McNutt. His company had been trying for years to snag a long-term contract with an American metropolitan police department. Baltimore seemed like his best shot to date, one that could lead to more work.
He’s told police departments that his system might help them reduce crime by as much as 20 percent in their cities, and he was hoping this Baltimore job would allow him to back up the claim. “I don’t have good statistical data yet, but that’s part of the reason we’re here,” he said. McNutt believes the technology would be most effective if used in a transparent, publicly acknowledged manner; part of the system’s effectiveness, he said, rests in its potential to deter criminal activity.
McNutt is an Air Force Academy graduate, physicist, and MIT-trained astronautical engineer who in 2004 founded the Air Force’s Center for Rapid Product Development. The Pentagon asked him if he could develop something to figure out who was planting the roadside bombs that were killing and maiming American soldiers in Iraq. In 2006 he gave the military Angel Fire, a wide-area, live-feed surveillance system that could cast an unblinking eye on an entire city.
The system was built around an assembly of four to six commercially available industrial imaging cameras, synchronized and positioned at different angles, then attached to the bottom of a plane. As the plane flew, computers stabilized the images from the cameras, stitched them together and transmitted them to the ground at a rate of one per second. This produced a searchable, constantly updating photographic map that was stored on hard drives. His elevator pitch was irresistible: “Imagine Google Earth with TiVo capability.” more more videos
[See excellent video report.]
A half block from the city’s central police station, in a spare office suite above a parking garage, Ross McNutt, the founder of Persistent Surveillance Systems, monitored the city...
Since this discreet arrangement began in January, it had felt like a make-or-break opportunity for McNutt. His company had been trying for years to snag a long-term contract with an American metropolitan police department. Baltimore seemed like his best shot to date, one that could lead to more work.
He’s told police departments that his system might help them reduce crime by as much as 20 percent in their cities, and he was hoping this Baltimore job would allow him to back up the claim. “I don’t have good statistical data yet, but that’s part of the reason we’re here,” he said. McNutt believes the technology would be most effective if used in a transparent, publicly acknowledged manner; part of the system’s effectiveness, he said, rests in its potential to deter criminal activity.
McNutt is an Air Force Academy graduate, physicist, and MIT-trained astronautical engineer who in 2004 founded the Air Force’s Center for Rapid Product Development. The Pentagon asked him if he could develop something to figure out who was planting the roadside bombs that were killing and maiming American soldiers in Iraq. In 2006 he gave the military Angel Fire, a wide-area, live-feed surveillance system that could cast an unblinking eye on an entire city.
The system was built around an assembly of four to six commercially available industrial imaging cameras, synchronized and positioned at different angles, then attached to the bottom of a plane. As the plane flew, computers stabilized the images from the cameras, stitched them together and transmitted them to the ground at a rate of one per second. This produced a searchable, constantly updating photographic map that was stored on hard drives. His elevator pitch was irresistible: “Imagine Google Earth with TiVo capability.” more more videos
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Court: Producers of Spyware Can Be Held Liable
A federal appeals court says the maker of an online spying tool can be sued on accusations of wiretapping. The federal lawsuit was brought by a man whose e-mail and instant messages to a woman were captured by the husband of the woman. That husband used that data as a "battering ram" as part of his 2010 divorce proceedings.
It's the second time in a week that a federal court has ruled in a wiretapping case—in favor of a person whose online communications were intercepted without consent. The other ruling was against Google. A judge ruled that a person not using Gmail who sent e-mail to another person using Gmail had not consented to Gmail's automatic scanning of the e-mail for marketing purposes. Hence, Google could be sued (PDF) for alleged wiretapping violations.
For the moment, the two outcomes are a major victory for privacy. But the reasoning in the lawsuit against the makers of the WebWatcher spy program could have ramifications far beyond the privacy context—and it places liability on the producers of spyware tools. more
It's the second time in a week that a federal court has ruled in a wiretapping case—in favor of a person whose online communications were intercepted without consent. The other ruling was against Google. A judge ruled that a person not using Gmail who sent e-mail to another person using Gmail had not consented to Gmail's automatic scanning of the e-mail for marketing purposes. Hence, Google could be sued (PDF) for alleged wiretapping violations.
For the moment, the two outcomes are a major victory for privacy. But the reasoning in the lawsuit against the makers of the WebWatcher spy program could have ramifications far beyond the privacy context—and it places liability on the producers of spyware tools. more
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Why Blackberry is No Apple
BlackBerry appeared Monday, April 18, to acknowledge it helped Canadian federal police crack a Montreal crime syndicate that had been using its messaging system,
while insisting its smartphone security remains impenetrable.
In a blog post, BlackBerry chief executive John Chen reiterated the company's long-held stance "that tech companies as good corporate citizens should comply with reasonable lawful access requests." more
while insisting its smartphone security remains impenetrable.
In a blog post, BlackBerry chief executive John Chen reiterated the company's long-held stance "that tech companies as good corporate citizens should comply with reasonable lawful access requests." more
Monday, April 4, 2016
A $40 Attack that Steals Police Drones from 2km Away
Black Hat Asia IBM security guy Nils Rodday says thieves can hijack expensive professional drones used widely across the law enforcement, emergency, and private sectors thanks to absent encryption in on-board chips.
Rodday says the €25,000 (US$28,463, £19,816, AU$37,048) quadcopters can be hijacked with less than $40 of hardware, and some basic knowledge of radio communications.
With that in hand attackers can commandeer radio links to the drones from up to two kilometres away, and block operators from reconnecting to the craft.
The drone is often used by emergency services across Europe, but the exposure could be much worse; the targeted Xbee chip is common in drones everywhere and Rodday says it is likely many more aircraft are open to compromise. more
Rodday says the €25,000 (US$28,463, £19,816, AU$37,048) quadcopters can be hijacked with less than $40 of hardware, and some basic knowledge of radio communications.
With that in hand attackers can commandeer radio links to the drones from up to two kilometres away, and block operators from reconnecting to the craft.
The drone is often used by emergency services across Europe, but the exposure could be much worse; the targeted Xbee chip is common in drones everywhere and Rodday says it is likely many more aircraft are open to compromise. more
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Police Training Eagles to Intercept Drones
UK - The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is considering using eagles to capture unauthorised remote controlled drones following a successful trial by Dutch police...
A 2014 inquiry led by Sir David Omand, the former head of intelligence agency GCHQ, highlighted the serious risks posed by the devices. "Crowds at sporting events or rallies could be vulnerable if a future terrorist group were to look for means of dispersing chemical or biological agents," the report said.
Dutch police teamed up with Guard From Above, a raptor-training security firm, to teach the birds how to hunt and intercept drones. "It's a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem," Dennis Janus, a spokesman for the Netherlands' national police, said. more
A 2014 inquiry led by Sir David Omand, the former head of intelligence agency GCHQ, highlighted the serious risks posed by the devices. "Crowds at sporting events or rallies could be vulnerable if a future terrorist group were to look for means of dispersing chemical or biological agents," the report said.
Dutch police teamed up with Guard From Above, a raptor-training security firm, to teach the birds how to hunt and intercept drones. "It's a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem," Dennis Janus, a spokesman for the Netherlands' national police, said. more
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Big Taps in The Big House
Thousands of confidential phone conversations between inmates and their lawyers have been recorded
by a leading prison phone company that also serves New York City jails — a major data breach exposed by a hacker, according to a report.
The anonymous hacker believes the company, Securus Technologies, is violating prisoners’ constitutional rights by recording privileged conversations, The Intercept reported Wednesday.
Of 70 million phone-call records obtained by The Intercept, 14,000 were for legally protected calls made to prisoners’ attorneys, The Intercept said. more
by a leading prison phone company that also serves New York City jails — a major data breach exposed by a hacker, according to a report.
The anonymous hacker believes the company, Securus Technologies, is violating prisoners’ constitutional rights by recording privileged conversations, The Intercept reported Wednesday.
Of 70 million phone-call records obtained by The Intercept, 14,000 were for legally protected calls made to prisoners’ attorneys, The Intercept said. more
Friday, October 30, 2015
The Disorderly Orderly, or Spycam Peek-A-Boo in the ICU
India - Police have arrested a 30-year-old male orderly of Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre
on charges of filming women after allegedly putting up spy camera in changing room for nurses.
A nurse spotted the spy camera in the changing room inside the intensive care unit (ICU) on the third floor and alerted a security guard, said sources.
Police have reportedly recovered two obscene video clips from his spy camera, which was installed for around 12 hours, said sources. Police will now try to retrieve deleted data, added the sources. more
on charges of filming women after allegedly putting up spy camera in changing room for nurses.
A nurse spotted the spy camera in the changing room inside the intensive care unit (ICU) on the third floor and alerted a security guard, said sources.
Police have reportedly recovered two obscene video clips from his spy camera, which was installed for around 12 hours, said sources. Police will now try to retrieve deleted data, added the sources. more
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Crackdown on Users of DroidJack Spyware
Law enforcement officials in almost half a dozen European countries have searched the homes of people suspected of having used software to spy on mobile phone users...
In Germany, prosecutors searched the homes of 13 people on Tuesday, they said, adding raids had also taken place in Britain, France, Belgium and Switzerland. They did not have further information on the raids in other countries.
The suspects in Germany, aged between 19 and 51, are believed to have bought and used smartphone software DroidJack, which allows surveillance of phones that use Google's Android...
The software allows users to monitor a smartphone's data traffic, eavesdrop on phone conversations or hijack a phone's camera without its owner noticing. It can also be used to spy on smartphone users as they access online banking systems. more
In Germany, prosecutors searched the homes of 13 people on Tuesday, they said, adding raids had also taken place in Britain, France, Belgium and Switzerland. They did not have further information on the raids in other countries.
The suspects in Germany, aged between 19 and 51, are believed to have bought and used smartphone software DroidJack, which allows surveillance of phones that use Google's Android...
The software allows users to monitor a smartphone's data traffic, eavesdrop on phone conversations or hijack a phone's camera without its owner noticing. It can also be used to spy on smartphone users as they access online banking systems. more
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Police: Fired Officer Used Drone to Spy on Neighbors
GA - A Valdosta police officer was out of a job as of Monday evening after being arrested for reportedly using a drone to eavesdrop on a neighbor.
Officer Howard Kirkland, 53, of Ray City, was fired Monday morning, Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress confirmed.
He had been on suspension since September 4th. He was arrested at the police department by Lanier County Sheriff's Deputies on September 10th. The sheriff's office had been conducting an investigation for about a week. more
Officer Howard Kirkland, 53, of Ray City, was fired Monday morning, Valdosta Police Chief Brian Childress confirmed.
He had been on suspension since September 4th. He was arrested at the police department by Lanier County Sheriff's Deputies on September 10th. The sheriff's office had been conducting an investigation for about a week. more
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Spotify Apologizes for Spying on Its Users
On Wednesday, Spotify quietly updated its terms and conditions to grant itself sweeping abilities to track every location, movement, and online activity of its users, even when those users weren’t using Spotify. That data, including information pulled from friends’ profiles, would then be transmitted to advertising partners.
This morning, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek back-pedaled on those terms and promised an entirely new set of terms of conditions, to be updated next week. He also pointed to the ability for users to opt-out of certain data collection activities, a claim that contradicts language in the recently-updated terms.
The following is a statement on the matter shared with Digital Music News this morning from Ek... more
This morning, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek back-pedaled on those terms and promised an entirely new set of terms of conditions, to be updated next week. He also pointed to the ability for users to opt-out of certain data collection activities, a claim that contradicts language in the recently-updated terms.
The following is a statement on the matter shared with Digital Music News this morning from Ek... more
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Trashnet - Garbage Trucks with License Plate Readers
CA - San Jose may enlist garbage trucks as eyes on the ground for a short-staffed police force.
Equipping trash haulers with license plate readers would turn them into roving scouts for the San Jose Police Department. Already, the trucks travel every city street every single week, covering more ground than a cop car.
Mayor Sam Liccardo proposed the idea with support from council members Raul Peralez—a former policeman—and Johnny Khamis. more
Equipping trash haulers with license plate readers would turn them into roving scouts for the San Jose Police Department. Already, the trucks travel every city street every single week, covering more ground than a cop car.
Mayor Sam Liccardo proposed the idea with support from council members Raul Peralez—a former policeman—and Johnny Khamis. more
Thursday, August 6, 2015
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Saturday, May 30, 2015
Antalya Police Tears Down its Office Walls, Paranoid About Bugging
Turkey - The police intelligence unit in Turkey’s primary holiday resort province Antalya has torn down its own walls in a search for a bugging device according to a tip, fueling the debate on government wiretapping.
The search was reported to have been conducted sometime in the past 8 months and apparently had not uncovered any device. The incident is likely to be regarded as indicative of the extent Turkey’s wiretap saga has reached.
Police intelligence forces who were detained and released over eight months ago were once again detained earlier in the week, in one of the latest episodes of the raids to target the police force over illegal wiretapping allegations.
Since the dated December 17, 2013 corruption probe which implicated the government, “illegal wiretapping” cases has resulted in the mass purge of the police force with hundreds of hundreds being imprisoned. Critics have slammed the government for arbitrarily using the allegations as a pretext to politicize the force. more
The search was reported to have been conducted sometime in the past 8 months and apparently had not uncovered any device. The incident is likely to be regarded as indicative of the extent Turkey’s wiretap saga has reached.
Police intelligence forces who were detained and released over eight months ago were once again detained earlier in the week, in one of the latest episodes of the raids to target the police force over illegal wiretapping allegations.
Since the dated December 17, 2013 corruption probe which implicated the government, “illegal wiretapping” cases has resulted in the mass purge of the police force with hundreds of hundreds being imprisoned. Critics have slammed the government for arbitrarily using the allegations as a pretext to politicize the force. more
Friday, May 22, 2015
Coming Soon - Surveillance Cacti - Prick
AZ - The Town of Paradise Valley is adding a new gadget to its collection of surveillance tools: permanent roadside license plate readers.
Several Valley police agencies, including Paradise Valley, already use license plate readers mounted on patrol cars. But the decision by council leaders to install the technology at eleven locations across town signals a broader use of the cameras.
They will be mounted on poles and embedded inside faux cacti to record the location, date and time of the plate number. Some of the cameras have already been installed and the program is expected to go online in June. The total cost for the project is $752,000...
Paradise Valley Community Resource Officer, Kevin Albert says strict protocols will be in place for investigators who are trained and designated to access the database. He also says simply having the plate numbers on file will not compromise privacy rights. (right) more
They will be mounted on poles and embedded inside faux cacti to record the location, date and time of the plate number. Some of the cameras have already been installed and the program is expected to go online in June. The total cost for the project is $752,000...
Paradise Valley Community Resource Officer, Kevin Albert says strict protocols will be in place for investigators who are trained and designated to access the database. He also says simply having the plate numbers on file will not compromise privacy rights. (right) more
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Who's Behind Those Ray Bans
ACLU - The map below tracks what we know, based on press reports and publicly
available documents, about the use of stingray tracking devices by state
and local police departments.
Following the map is a list of the federal law enforcement agencies known to use the technology throughout the United States. The ACLU has identified 51 agencies in 21 states and the District of Columbia that own stingrays, but because many agencies continue to shroud their purchase and use of stingrays in secrecy, this map dramatically under represents the actual use of stingrays by law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Stingrays, also known as "cell site simulators" or "IMSI catchers," are invasive cell phone surveillance devices that mimic cell phone towers and send out signals to trick cell phones in the area into transmitting their locations and identifying information. When used to track a suspect's cell phone, they also gather information about the phones of countless bystanders who happen to be nearby. Click here for more info on stingrays.
Following the map is a list of the federal law enforcement agencies known to use the technology throughout the United States. The ACLU has identified 51 agencies in 21 states and the District of Columbia that own stingrays, but because many agencies continue to shroud their purchase and use of stingrays in secrecy, this map dramatically under represents the actual use of stingrays by law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Stingrays, also known as "cell site simulators" or "IMSI catchers," are invasive cell phone surveillance devices that mimic cell phone towers and send out signals to trick cell phones in the area into transmitting their locations and identifying information. When used to track a suspect's cell phone, they also gather information about the phones of countless bystanders who happen to be nearby. Click here for more info on stingrays.
Monday, April 13, 2015
The Wire - Censored to Protect You
HBO's The Wire was lauded for its gritty, realistic portrayal of the drug war in Baltimore, but it seems law enforcement thought the show could be a bit too authentic at times. In a story about cellphone tracking technology, showrunner David Simon tells The Baltimore Sun that "At points, we were asked by law enforcement not to reveal certain vulnerabilities in our plotlines."
Simon, who was once a reporter for the very same paper, explains that the writers once intended to show that criminals using the walkie-talkie-eque, "push-to-talk" feature of Nextel phones could avoid surveillance and wiretaps. According to Simon, the technology "was actually impervious to any interception by law enforcement during a critical window of time." more
Simon, who was once a reporter for the very same paper, explains that the writers once intended to show that criminals using the walkie-talkie-eque, "push-to-talk" feature of Nextel phones could avoid surveillance and wiretaps. According to Simon, the technology "was actually impervious to any interception by law enforcement during a critical window of time." more
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
NYPD Blue IT
NYC - A rogue auxiliary cop hacked into an NYPD database for confidential information about traffic accidents, then contacted the victims posing as an ambulance-chasing lawyer, federal authorities said Tuesday.
Yehuda Katz devised an elaborate scheme inside the 70th Precinct station house in Flatbush, Brooklyn, where he was not only able to access law enforcement databases from a remote location, but also installed a hidden camera in a cable TV box in the traffic safety office to make sure he wouldn’t be found out...
Investigators found an electronic device connected to the computer had been logging into the NYPD database using the passwords of three cops on their days off.
The surveillance camera had the capability to broadcast a live image of the office to the Internet. Investigators suspect Katz would activate the device from a remote location to make sure no one was using the computer so he could log into the database. more
"Mr. Katz will see you, as soon as you put on this neck brace." |
Investigators found an electronic device connected to the computer had been logging into the NYPD database using the passwords of three cops on their days off.
The surveillance camera had the capability to broadcast a live image of the office to the Internet. Investigators suspect Katz would activate the device from a remote location to make sure no one was using the computer so he could log into the database. more
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Lawyer Asks Judge to Rule... Wiretapper was a Party to the Calls
NJ - A top official at a New Jersey jail has been convicted of illegal wiretapping.
Hudson County Correctional Facility Deputy Director Kirk Eady was convicted Friday of the only charge he faced.
Authorities say he used a website to intercept and record at least a dozen telephone calls of other employees and another person who were critical of his work performance.
The 46-year-old Eady, of East Brunswick, scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
His lawyer has asked a judge to rule that Eady was actually a party to the phone calls and not breaking the law. more
Hudson County Correctional Facility Deputy Director Kirk Eady was convicted Friday of the only charge he faced.
Authorities say he used a website to intercept and record at least a dozen telephone calls of other employees and another person who were critical of his work performance.
The 46-year-old Eady, of East Brunswick, scheduled to be sentenced on July 8. He faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
His lawyer has asked a judge to rule that Eady was actually a party to the phone calls and not breaking the law. more
Monday, February 23, 2015
C.S.I. yi-yi - DNA Can Be Faked!
In a recent story in The New York Times, Andrew Pollack reports that "scientists in Israel have demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence, undermining the credibility of what has been considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases.
"The scientists fabricated blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could construct a sample of DNA to match that profile without obtaining any tissue from that person."
“You can just engineer a crime scene,” Dan Frumkin, lead author of the paper, which has been published online by the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics, told the Times. “Any biology undergraduate could perform this.”
(more)
"The scientists fabricated blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could construct a sample of DNA to match that profile without obtaining any tissue from that person."
“You can just engineer a crime scene,” Dan Frumkin, lead author of the paper, which has been published online by the journal Forensic Science International: Genetics, told the Times. “Any biology undergraduate could perform this.”
(more)
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