TV show builds Spy Gear Room for 7-year old

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Builds Spy Gear Room for 7-Year-Old Boy filled with "The Latest and Greatest that Every Up and Coming Spy Could Possibly Wish For"

Kyle Thibodeau, age 7, is the lucky recipient of the first-ever Spy Gear Room built by the cast and crew of ABC TV's Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Kyle's room was revealed on an episode of EMHE and includes what the show's celebrity designer Tanya McQueen refers to as "the latest and greatest that every up and coming spy could possibly wish for." (more) (video) (mental antidote)

More bugs for your kids...

(from gizmodo.com)
President Bush defends domestic eavesdropping, so why shouldn't you? The Mobile Spy Ear, which completes Wild Planet's trifecta of kiddie 007 gadgets, is moveable car with a microphone that transmits sounds to an earbud from up to 75 feet away.


Too bad the vehicle itself only travels 30 feet, and it's one of those wind up cars (you pull it backwards along the floor and then let go). But the signal supposedly works through walls, which means that the movement is really a secondary feature to being able to listen-in on your sister talking about boys. Ewwww.

Available next fall for between $14.99 and $19.99. – Noah Robischon

WPP Mob Guy Who Was FBI Bug Man Now Icy

Mafia soldier Angelo "Sonny" Mercurio, who helped the FBI land the first-ever bugging of a mob induction ceremony, has died (at 70) in Little Rock, Ark., where he lived in the federal witness-protection program, relatives said yesterday. (more)

Hidden Cameras & Microphones - White Paper List

Hidden Cameras, Hidden Microphones: Essays From the Experts
The Hidden Camera Conundrum: A Media Lawyer's Perspective
Mark Sableman
Hidden Cameras: A News Executive's Perspective
Mark Effron
Hidden Cameras and Other Inexact Sciences
Allan Maraynes
A Message About Methods: Make No Mistake
Bob Steele
High Standards for Hidden Cameras
Bob Steele
An Argument Against "Toilet Journalism"
Robert Lissit
Hidden Cameras: Handle With Care
Charlie Thompson
Worth Thinking About
Chris Heinbaugh
Hidden Cameras: Is the Truth Worth the Lie?
Stuart Watson
Hidden Cameras Answer Noble Call
Duane Pohlman
Lawyers, Journalists and Hidden Cameras
Sandra S. Baron

Hidden Cameras, Hidden Microphones: Statutes and Court Cases
Introduction
Kathleen K. Olson
Definitions
Federal Statutes and Court Cases
State-by-State Statutes and Court Cases

CREDITS

Corporate espionage goes undetected in India

The arrest of a Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited employee for allegedly leaking information to a competing company is one of the few cases of corporate espionage that have come to light.

However, a majority of corporate espionage cases go undetected.

If detected, very few complaints come to light. And in the few cases that complaints are registered, hardly any action is taken.

"Only 20 per cent of corporate espionage cases are detected. Of this, a mere 20 per cent get reported and only 10 per cent can be solved," says Raghu Raman, CEO, Mahindra Special Services Group.

Moreover, there have been very few convictions in India till date for corporate espionage or data theft, while not a single case has been registered under Section 66 of the IT Act 2000.Ajay Jugran, Partner of law firm, Lawcombine, says, "This malady is deep-rooted. It's prevalent when Public Sector Undertakings call for bids. Trading in bidding information is rampant."

"Companies are even using annual maintenance contractors to plant surveillance software in rival firms. The software gives a daily log of the data via e-mail.

Is there a solution? Companies the world over are known to hire Sweep Teams to detect eavesdropping devices. (more)

Whether your problem is in India, the United States or elsewhere, we can help.

Smartphones (aka Pocket Bugs)

Despite the rise of smartphone malware, businesses aren't making security a priority.

"Just because they're not concerned doesn't mean it's any less of a threat," said Bill Hughes, principal analyst at In-Stat, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based research firm. "They could be sitting on a time bomb for all they know."

Hughes said the amount of sensitive data living on smartphones is relatively low for now. But email and media files are vulnerable. Smartphones are already being attacked by spyware, such as keyloggers, he said. But it isn't just malware that poses a risk. (more)

Bathroom video snoop to be charged

NH - Police say a woman caught a male relative secretly videotaping and photographing her in the bathroom.

The man, 64-year-old Marvin Nicholson of Durham, turned himself in Tuesday. Police plan to charge him with wiretapping and invasion of privacy. They say he spied on the woman over the last two months while they were living in the same house. He’s also accused of recording the woman’s conversations. Police seized computers and recording equipment. (more)

Nicholson's arrest follows the arrest of Rochester resident Dennis S. Winship in December, who is charged with violation of privacy for allegedly using a miniature video camera attached to a long pole to record "intimate images" of a female neighbor while she used the bathroom.

Although the two cases are unrelated, Callaghan noted there were some similarities and acknowledged that residents may be "alarmed" by these recent crimes. (more)

Ex-employee undercut boss by bugging him

Greece - A 27-year-old man was able to beat his former boss to business deals after allegedly installing a sophisticated listening program in the shipowner’s laptop computer, police said yesterday after arresting the suspect.

Officers were called in by the businessman after his former employee, a Ukrainian national, set up a rival shipping company and seemed to be one step ahead of him in closing deals.

After examining the unnamed entrepreneur’s computer, officers discovered that spy software had been installed in the laptop which allegedly allowed the 27-year-old to automatically record any conversations made via the Internet.

Police found that the software, which the suspect allegedly devised on his own, also worked as a bug, recording voices even when the computer was switched off. (more)

Pirro probe 'ongoing,' U.S. attorney says

NY - "Obviously, it's a very sensitive investigation," U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said. "The only thing I've said since the initial confirmation of the investigation was that it was ongoing, and that's really all I can say about it."

Last year, while Pirro was running for state attorney general, news leaked that federal prosecutors were investigating whether she broke eavesdropping laws when she asked former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik to bug her family boat to find out if her husband, Albert, was cheating on her. (more)

See a good spy movie this weekend!

"The Lives of Others" (opens February 9) is a miracle of a film that manages to be both subtle and intense at the same time. It's a political thriller but also a portrait of unexpected humanity -- a marvel of controlled storytelling and mood, with brilliant performances. ...

The members of the Stasi (the East German secret police) who rule this place -- cruelly, arbitrarily, completely -- aren't caricatures but fully fleshed-out beings who inspire a real feeling of dread. They do what they want, when they want, because they can. They seem to get off on it.

Capt. Gerd Weisler, who's in charge of bugging their apartment and listening in on their conversations, phone calls, comings and goings, at first takes his responsibility seriously, as he takes everything seriously. One look at his spartan apartment shows us he has no life and doesn't want one. (more)

The Lives of Others has one of the most erudite screenplays of the year. ... The Lives of Others swept the German Film Awards this year, winning seven prizes, including best feature film, director, lead actor and cinematography. It is not to be missed... (more)

Nicole Kidman 'bugging device' to be tested

A bugging device allegedly found in the street outside Nicole Kidman's Sydney home will be made available to the legal team defending celebrity photographer Jamie Fawcett.

Fawcett was charged last October, accused of planting the plastic-covered device in foliage across the road from Kidman's home. (more)

The spying game: The latest gadgets for spooks

From night vision to tiny cameras, many everyday gadgets were originally developed for spies.

Guy Adams plays with the latest spookware to see what's heading our way...
- Implantable Radio Frequency Identification Tags
- Entomopter
- Keystroke Logger
- Mobile phone security
- Spyrobot camera
- Super-powered Spy Leg
(more)

New law coming? Place yer bets here!

Germany's High Court has handed down a landmark decision banning police from installing spyware on computers of suspected criminals without their knowledge.

The judges also argued that hacking computers by the police is not permitted under Germany's strict phone-tapping laws and that legislation would be needed to enable covert surveillance. (more)

DIY CSI Internet

...or how security directors can get up-to-speed fast on the mysterious workings of the on-line world.

Free, 137-page downloadable booklet from the U.S. Department of Justice -- Investigations Involving the Internet and Computer Networks. (get it)

Fun read for your kids...

Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent
by Thomas B. Allen (ages 9 and older)

Born a slave but determined to be free, Harriet Tubman was called Black Moses for leading hundreds of slaves to freedom during the Civil War. Many escaped from Maryland, where Harriet had been born around 1820.

A small woman who could neither read nor write, she became an important spy for the Union (North) and was the only female to lead men into battle. A $12,000 reward was put on her head, but she was never caught.

Tubman's story is just one in this fascinating account of spying during the 1861-65 war. (book)