Italy!!!!!
Britain may have more CCTV cameras per head than anywhere else in the world but when it comes to electronic surveillance the country is way behind Italy, the Netherlands and even Sweden. ... Italy leads the world with 76 intercepts per 100,000 head of population, shortly ahead of the Netherlands (62), and with third-placed Sweden some way back (33). Germany comes in fourth with 23.5 intercepts per 100,000 head of population with England and Wales trailing on six intercepts per head of population. (more)
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The Big Apple and eavesdropping
You probably know that New York City is often called by its nickname, The Big Apple.
But, did you know that eavesdropping played a part in this?
The city's nickname The Big Apple came from sportswriter John Fitzgerald eavesdropping on stable hands in New Orleans who referred to NYC's racetracks as "The Big Apple". (more)
But, did you know that eavesdropping played a part in this?
The city's nickname The Big Apple came from sportswriter John Fitzgerald eavesdropping on stable hands in New Orleans who referred to NYC's racetracks as "The Big Apple". (more)
Churchill feared Soviet spies might bug hearing aid
UK - Winston Churchill banned an electronics expert from Downing Street after an MI5 warning that Soviet spies might use him to bug the prime ministerial hearing aid.
Churchill, then nearing his eighties, had an elaborate desktop loudspeaker system installed at No 10 during his second premiership in the early 1950s.
Files released at the National Archives in Kew show that Roger Hollis, then deputy director-general of MI5, warned Downing Street about the risk of continuing to employ Alexander Poliakoff, a Russian émigré, to service the unit.
The warning over Poliakoff occurred in 1953, the year after the Americans had found a bug in the beak of the eagle in the great seal of the United States at their Moscow embassy. They later found another 40; 14 more were found at the British embassy. (more)
Churchill, then nearing his eighties, had an elaborate desktop loudspeaker system installed at No 10 during his second premiership in the early 1950s.
Files released at the National Archives in Kew show that Roger Hollis, then deputy director-general of MI5, warned Downing Street about the risk of continuing to employ Alexander Poliakoff, a Russian émigré, to service the unit.
The warning over Poliakoff occurred in 1953, the year after the Americans had found a bug in the beak of the eagle in the great seal of the United States at their Moscow embassy. They later found another 40; 14 more were found at the British embassy. (more)
Job Opening - Opening other people's mail
Ever wonder who actually spies on employee's e-mail?
Maybe, it could be Y-O-U!
Take a peek at this job opening, for opening...
"The Manager of the Electronic Communications team will provide top-level guidance and advice to an excellent team of surveillance analysts who are charged with the day-to-day compliance and oversight of all forms of electronic communications (e-mail, IM, and other forms). With the ever-evolving nature of the Firm's business and the regulatory landscape, the Manager's primary role is to realize necessary improvements in existing surveillance methods with respect to electronic communications and compliance with the Firm's policies on electronic communications.
The Manager must be comfortable working with Technology staff on creating, defining and testing new electronic communications systems. A major project will involve supporting the rollout of a new Firm wide electronic communications supervision system in 2008 while providing maintenance of the legacy e-mail supervision systems.
The Manager will be responsible for initiating and overseeing a wide-range of strategic planning projects related to electronic communications to assist the Firm in complying with regulatory and legal requirements. The Manager will also have extensive interaction with senior members of other Legal and Compliance departments and Businesses. Accordingly, this is a high exposure position within the Compliance Department that should prove to be both challenging and rewarding.
Skills...
The ideal candidate must have a strong management background with:
- Undergraduate degree required, graduate degree a plus
- Minimum 6 to 8 years of Legal/Compliance/Control experience within the securities industry
- Familiarity with electronic communication issues a must
- Ability to understand and work well within the complex organizational structure
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Impeccable personal and professional integrity
- Highly responsive and client relationship focused.
- Ability to inspire confidence and be a great ambassador for Compliance
(more)
Maybe, it could be Y-O-U!
Take a peek at this job opening, for opening...
"The Manager of the Electronic Communications team will provide top-level guidance and advice to an excellent team of surveillance analysts who are charged with the day-to-day compliance and oversight of all forms of electronic communications (e-mail, IM, and other forms). With the ever-evolving nature of the Firm's business and the regulatory landscape, the Manager's primary role is to realize necessary improvements in existing surveillance methods with respect to electronic communications and compliance with the Firm's policies on electronic communications.
The Manager must be comfortable working with Technology staff on creating, defining and testing new electronic communications systems. A major project will involve supporting the rollout of a new Firm wide electronic communications supervision system in 2008 while providing maintenance of the legacy e-mail supervision systems.
The Manager will be responsible for initiating and overseeing a wide-range of strategic planning projects related to electronic communications to assist the Firm in complying with regulatory and legal requirements. The Manager will also have extensive interaction with senior members of other Legal and Compliance departments and Businesses. Accordingly, this is a high exposure position within the Compliance Department that should prove to be both challenging and rewarding.
Skills...
The ideal candidate must have a strong management background with:
- Undergraduate degree required, graduate degree a plus
- Minimum 6 to 8 years of Legal/Compliance/Control experience within the securities industry
- Familiarity with electronic communication issues a must
- Ability to understand and work well within the complex organizational structure
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Impeccable personal and professional integrity
- Highly responsive and client relationship focused.
- Ability to inspire confidence and be a great ambassador for Compliance
(more)
Washington's CIA Spy Leak Comes to a Theatre Near You!
A Hollywood studio plans a film on Valerie Plame, a glamorous CIA spy outed after her husband accused President George W Bush's administration of exaggerating intelligence to invade Iraq, Variety said.
Warner Brothers has acquired the rights to the life story of Plame and her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, the couple at the heart of a scandal which led to the trial (and conviction - see below) of Vice President Dick Cheney's aide Lewis Libby.
Warner Brothers "also will use Plame's memoir Fair Game if the CIA permits her to publish it," Variety said. (more)
Warner Brothers has acquired the rights to the life story of Plame and her husband, former ambassador Joseph Wilson, the couple at the heart of a scandal which led to the trial (and conviction - see below) of Vice President Dick Cheney's aide Lewis Libby.
Warner Brothers "also will use Plame's memoir Fair Game if the CIA permits her to publish it," Variety said. (more)
Police blotter: Wife e-surveilled in divorce case
What: Husband uses keystroke logger to spy on wife's suspected relationship with another woman, who sues to prevent the records from being used in the divorce case.
When: U.S. District Judge Thomas Rose in the southern district of Ohio rules on February 14.
Outcome: Rose denies request for injunction preventing the electronic documents from being introduced as evidence in the divorce case.
Excerpt from Rose's opinion:
Because the suppression provision excludes illegally intercepted wire and oral communications from the courtroom, but does not mention electronic communications, several courts, including the Sixth Circuit, have concluded that Congress intentionally omitted illegally intercepted electronic communications from the category of cases in which the remedy of suppression is available. (more)
When: U.S. District Judge Thomas Rose in the southern district of Ohio rules on February 14.
Outcome: Rose denies request for injunction preventing the electronic documents from being introduced as evidence in the divorce case.
Excerpt from Rose's opinion:
Because the suppression provision excludes illegally intercepted wire and oral communications from the courtroom, but does not mention electronic communications, several courts, including the Sixth Circuit, have concluded that Congress intentionally omitted illegally intercepted electronic communications from the category of cases in which the remedy of suppression is available. (more)
Landlord sentenced for spying on tenants
NY - A central New York man was sentenced yesterday for spying on his tenants with hidden cameras.
Patrick Kaiser of Oneida was sentenced to two to six years in state prison. ... 49-year-old Kaiser told the judge he was sorry for installing cameras in an upstairs apartment so he could spy on his tenants having sex.
...he told investigators he'd installed small cameras in a bedroom alarm clock, the bathroom, and living room of the upstairs apartment of his Oneida building. The cameras provided a live video feed to two televisions in Kaiser's downstairs apartment.
Kaiser retired as a lieutenant with the Oneida City Fire Department in 2005. (more)
Patrick Kaiser of Oneida was sentenced to two to six years in state prison. ... 49-year-old Kaiser told the judge he was sorry for installing cameras in an upstairs apartment so he could spy on his tenants having sex.
...he told investigators he'd installed small cameras in a bedroom alarm clock, the bathroom, and living room of the upstairs apartment of his Oneida building. The cameras provided a live video feed to two televisions in Kaiser's downstairs apartment.
Kaiser retired as a lieutenant with the Oneida City Fire Department in 2005. (more)
How HP bugged e-mail
"ReadNotify uses a combination of up to 36 different simultaneous tracking techniques," Chris Drake, the company's Sydney, Australia-based chief technology officer said in an e-mail interview. "One or more of these usually works in all different e-mail clients and operating systems, making us the most powerful and reliable tracking service on the Internet."
Use of the e-mail bug is one of the possibly illegal methods used in HP's investigation into boardroom leaks. (more)
Use of the e-mail bug is one of the possibly illegal methods used in HP's investigation into boardroom leaks. (more)
My teacher had one in the back of her head.
UK - Tiny CCTV cameras could soon be used by wardens or police on the streets of Norwich as the latest weapon in the war on yobs.The devices, which are discreetly placed on officers' headwear, have been trialled in other parts of the country... the cameras could be used to capture images of youths spraying graffiti or behaving in other anti-social ways and used, if needed, as evidence.
“It means people can walk around recording what's going on and gathering evidence. ... an incredibly powerful tool because youngsters don't misbehave when they are being recorded. (more)
Alleged spying by NHL union leaders
Canada's most recognized labour movement executive says he is shocked and "extremely troubled" by news that NHL Players' Association officials allegedly accessed and in some cases blocked the email accounts of players who have challenged the hiring of union executive director Ted Saskin.
"Unions are supposed to be about promoting democracy and responsibility and full disclosure," Buzz Hargrove, national president of the Canadian Auto Workers, said yesterday. "I've followed what's happened in the corporate world with things like this, but you don't expect it in a union. This is incredibly shocking if it's true." [snort] (more)
"Unions are supposed to be about promoting democracy and responsibility and full disclosure," Buzz Hargrove, national president of the Canadian Auto Workers, said yesterday. "I've followed what's happened in the corporate world with things like this, but you don't expect it in a union. This is incredibly shocking if it's true." [snort] (more)
A former Wal-Mart IT Security Staffer Speaks...
"I am reasonably sure that there is no Dr. Evil at work here. Instead, I believe that this incident is a case of human nature running amuck -- a legitimate investigation that got out of hand.
Based on the stories I read, this seems to have two components: 1) monitoring and recording of phone calls between Wal-Mart’s PR department and a New York Times reporter; and 2) intercepting message traffic from portable devices.
In my estimation, the initial monitoring of PR calls seems very targeted -- so that may have very well been part of an official internal investigation (though it may or may not have been authorized appropriately). Indiscriminate monitoring of wireless traffic for both employees and non-employees, however, seems to be clearly out-of-bounds. This is probably the result of the "systems technician" being over-zealous." (more)
Based on the stories I read, this seems to have two components: 1) monitoring and recording of phone calls between Wal-Mart’s PR department and a New York Times reporter; and 2) intercepting message traffic from portable devices.
In my estimation, the initial monitoring of PR calls seems very targeted -- so that may have very well been part of an official internal investigation (though it may or may not have been authorized appropriately). Indiscriminate monitoring of wireless traffic for both employees and non-employees, however, seems to be clearly out-of-bounds. This is probably the result of the "systems technician" being over-zealous." (more)
Think your office phone calls are private?
Think again...
Vanderbilt professor says Wal-Mart case calls attention to employer’s right to eavesdrop on employee calls.
Wal-Mart officials have said the employee in the recently reported case was not authorized to make the recordings and added that company policy restricts monitoring of employee communications to instances in which fraud or criminal activity is suspected. However, that policy is not a requirement. "We know from recent surveys by groups such as the American Management Association and others that many firms do routinely monitor employee communications that employees might think is private, without cause of suspicion," says Bruce Barry, professor of management and sociology. (more)
Professor Barry is the author of , "Speechless: The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace."
Vanderbilt professor says Wal-Mart case calls attention to employer’s right to eavesdrop on employee calls.
Wal-Mart officials have said the employee in the recently reported case was not authorized to make the recordings and added that company policy restricts monitoring of employee communications to instances in which fraud or criminal activity is suspected. However, that policy is not a requirement. "We know from recent surveys by groups such as the American Management Association and others that many firms do routinely monitor employee communications that employees might think is private, without cause of suspicion," says Bruce Barry, professor of management and sociology. (more)
Professor Barry is the author of , "Speechless: The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace."
Washington's CIA Leak Case Comes to a Close
CNN - The verdict by an 11 member jury comes after a nearly two year ordeal. Libby resigned from Cheney's staff in 2005, after he was charged with lying to investigators about the leak about the identity of Valerie Plame....a CIA operative. Lawyers for Libby originally stated Libby learned about Plame from Cheney, then forgot, then learned about her again from NBC's Tim Russert. The defense said Libby had a bad memory -- blaming it on his busy schedule as a top White House aide. (more)
During the first week of this story, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh tried their creative hands at predicting what had happened, on "K-Street."
"HBO's latest groundbreaking series is an experimental fusion of reality and fiction--an entertaining, fly-on-the-wall look at government, filmed in and around the corridors of power in Washington. Starring Beltway insiders James Carville, Mary Matalin, Michael Deaver--and a host of political celebrities." We were there.
See a brief video clip of our sweep for the Valerie Plame bugs here. The full episode occasionally airs on HBO OnDemand. Full series available on DVD.
During the first week of this story, George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh tried their creative hands at predicting what had happened, on "K-Street."
"HBO's latest groundbreaking series is an experimental fusion of reality and fiction--an entertaining, fly-on-the-wall look at government, filmed in and around the corridors of power in Washington. Starring Beltway insiders James Carville, Mary Matalin, Michael Deaver--and a host of political celebrities." We were there.
See a brief video clip of our sweep for the Valerie Plame bugs here. The full episode occasionally airs on HBO OnDemand. Full series available on DVD.
FutureWatch - Mind Reading
At a laboratory in Germany, volunteers slide into a donut-shaped MRI machine and perform simple tasks, such as deciding whether to add or subtract two numbers, or choosing which of two buttons to press. They have no inkling that scientists in the next room are trying to read their minds - using a brain scan to figure out their intention before it is turned into action.
In the past, scientists had been able to detect decisions about making physical movements before those movements appeared. But researchers at Berlin's Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience claim they have now, for the first time, identified people's decisions about how they would later do a high-level mental activity - in this case, adding versus subtracting.
While still in its initial stages, the techniques may eventually have wide-ranging implications for everything from criminal interrogations to airline security checks. And that alarms some ethicists who fear the technology could one day be abused by authorities, marketers, or employers. (more)
In the past, scientists had been able to detect decisions about making physical movements before those movements appeared. But researchers at Berlin's Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience claim they have now, for the first time, identified people's decisions about how they would later do a high-level mental activity - in this case, adding versus subtracting.
While still in its initial stages, the techniques may eventually have wide-ranging implications for everything from criminal interrogations to airline security checks. And that alarms some ethicists who fear the technology could one day be abused by authorities, marketers, or employers. (more)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)