Federal 1st Circuit Court of Appeals - Police can't search your cell phone when they arrest you without a warrant.

III. Conclusion
Since the time of its framing, "the central concern underlying the Fourth Amendment" has been ensuring that law enforcement officials do not have "unbridled discretion to rummage at will among a person's private effects." Gant, 556 U.S. at 345; see also Chimel, 395 U.S. at 767-68. Today, many Americans store their most personal "papers" and "effects," U.S. Const. amend. IV, in electronic format on a cell phone, carried on the person. Allowing the police to search that data without a warrant any time they conduct a lawful arrest would, in our view, create "a serious and recurring threat to the privacy of countless individuals." Gant, 556 U.S. at 345; cf. United States v. Jones, 132 S. Ct. 945, 950 (2012) ("At bottom, we must 'assur[e] preservation of that degree of privacy against government that existed when the Fourth Amendment was adopted.'" (quoting Kyllo v. United States, 533 U.S. 27, 34 (2001))). We therefore reverse the denial of Wurie's motion to suppress, vacate his conviction, and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. (more)

Next stop, Supreme Court. ~Kevin

Fight Back Against Stalkers - New iPhone App

Empower yourself to stop being a victim, and take action against a stalker. 

(FREE until 5/24)
Collect information, collate it, and report to authorities in a simple app made for victims of stalking. Made in conjunction with leading criminologists and victim support forums, StopaStalker is your tool to start fighting back.

• Record suspect, vehicle, witness and location details.
• Link to photos in your photo roll, or take photos in-app.
• Record court orders, with iOS calendar reminders.
• Produce PDF reports for authorities, friends and family, and email or AirPrint.
• Backup/Restore from Dropbox so trusted people can access.
• Setup emergency contacts and police numbers to call or SMS from within the app.
• Quick 'Victim Guide' with tips for surviving stalking.

($5.99) (more) 

Many of the requests for eavesdropping detection help I receive have their roots in stalking and harassment. 

Spybuster Tip #092: If stalking and harassment are part of the problem, a search for bugs and taps is not the best first step. Tie the criminal to the crime first. Collect and document your evidence. Talk to an attorney. Then, look for the surveillance devices.

Your Smartphone - The Quickest Route to Your Bank Account

Many consumers simply don't realize how vulnerable their Androids, iPhones and other devices can be. 

An April study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said threats are proliferating, ranging from "phishing" -- where consumers click a phony email or text message and are tricked into handing over personal information -- to consumers' reluctance to use security protections they normally have on home computers, like a password...

Organized crime operations see smartphones as the most vulnerable entry point into the electronic financial system, according to the Federal Reserve...

Vikram Thakur, principal security response manager for security software giant Symantec, said attackers can get complete control of a phone simply by getting people to click on a link. Without actually having the phone in their hands, the hackers can access messages, phone calls and personal information. (more)

Spybusters Tip #734: 
• Password protect your phone. Keep it turned on.
• Don't click on anything 'iffy'.
• Keep Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned off unless needed.
• Avoid sensitive transaction over public Wi-Fi hot spots.

Bug Eyed Drone Used 368 iPhone 4S Cameras

Everyone marveled when the iPhone 4S came equipped with a full high definition video camera. Little did they know that the race to miniaturize cell phone cameras led to quite possibly the spookiest surveillance camera on earth.

Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System, or ARGUS-IS, which we recently covered, is the result of a low budget and 368 cannibalized cell phone cameras, slammed together to create the largest, finest surveillance camera in the world.

Attached to a predator drone, the camera records approximately 1 trillion gigabytes of information in a single day. (more)

Cautionary Tale - Employees Bug Boss for Promotions

China - Three public officers, who allegedly placed hidden cameras in a Party chief's office and then tried to blackmail him, have been held for illegal wiretapping and photographing in Huaihua City in central China's Hunan Province...

Prosecutors said the trio plotted to secretly videotape violations by Hu Jiawu, the local Party chief, and blackmail him for promotions, when they dined in early February 2012. They installed spy gadgets on a water dispenser, replacing the previous dispenser in Hu's office. Between March and October 2012, Li illegally monitored Hu and stored the footages in a removable disk, Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.
Li and Yang again sneaked into Hu's office during the National Day holidays in 2012 and returned the original water dispenser. After Li edited the video, he showed it to Hu on October 17 and threatened to expose him if he did not promote them. (more)

Don't think this couldn't happen to you. This is one reason why periodic inspections for electronic surveillance devices (known as TSCM) are a standard business practice.

Retailers sniffing cell phone Wi-Fi signals at the mall... and future uses.

Technology that allows retailers to track the movement of shoppers by harvesting Wi-Fi signals within their stores is spreading rapidly. 

Giant U.S. retailers including Nordstrom and Home Depot are already using it, as does one of the most popular malls in Singapore. Indeed, Euclid Analytics, one of the better-known companies selling the technology, boasts that it has tracked some 50 million devices in 4,000 locations. (more)

Also, check out Y-Find and TheRetailHQ.

So who cares if Home Depot knows what aisle you are in?

Think ahead...

"We are excited to be working with YFind to help them realize their vision of creating Location-Intelligent cities..." Pete Bonee, Partner at Innosight Ventures

Cities!?!?  
WTF? 
Oh, right. 
The government marketplace is huge, worldwide even.

Spybuster Tip # 845 - Don't Plug Your iPhone/Pad into Hotel Docking Stations

“Apple accessories, especially dock stations and alarm clocks become more and more popular. Nowadays, it is common to find such devices in hotel rooms,” wrote French security consultant and pentester Mathieu Renard. But can we really trust them? What if an alarm clock could silently jailbreak your iDevice while you sleep? “Wake up, Neo,” warned Renard. “Your phone got pwnd!”

At Hackito Ergo Sum 2013, an international security and hacking conference recently held in Paris, Renard presented iPown: Hacking Apple accessories to pwn iDevices. He started by looking at what an attacker would consider to be the most interesting Apple services before describing “how they can be exploited in order to retrieve confidential information or to deploy the evasi0n jailbreak.” (more)

Especially true when visiting countries with reputations for spying on foreign visitors. ~Kevin

Big Week for Spy News - Seems Everyone is Being Caught

A U.S. diplomat disguised in a blond wig was caught trying to recruit a Russian counterintelligence officer in Moscow, Russia's security services announced Tuesday, claiming the American was a CIA officer. (more)

In an outraged letter to U.S. Attorney General (AG) Eric Holder, the Associated Press, one of the nation's largest news organizations, accuses the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) of a potentially serious violation of freedom of the press. According to the letter from Gary Pruitt, records from 20 phone lines -- including personal phones of AP editors/columnists and AP business phone numbers in New York; Hartford, Connecticut; and Washington -- were subpoenaed in a "massive and unprecedented" attempt to monitor on the press. (more)

In a new twist of the Bloomberg spying scandal a former company employee has revealed journalists allegedly spied on the Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke and former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner through the news terminals. (more)

Designed to steal intellectual property, cyber espionage and attacks increased 42 percent in 2012 compared to the prior year, reveals a new report entitled, 'Internet Security Threat Report' (ISTR) of Symantec Corporation (more)

Top IRS Officials Knew of Tea Party Spying Months Before Denial (more)

Private Investigators Convene in Atlantic City Next Month

On June 26th, private investigators from across the country will be on their way to Atlantic City for the East Coast Super Conference, presented by PI Magazine and hosted by the New Jersey Licenced Private Investigators Association (NJLPIA). 

The conference includes 17 presentations from guest speakers Diane Dimond, Joe Pistone, F. Lee Bailey, and more, including a presentation on the real undercover life of Donnie Brasco. A full exhibitor hall and many activities for attendees and their families will be available. Located at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, the conference will also have door prizes, including 1 week in Aruba! (more) (video)

CONTEST (ENDED) - Who Is This Man?

We have a winner! Congratulations!!
Answer below.

Clues...
• Born 1897.
• Died 1973.
• Expert wiretapper. 
• Good high speed driver. 
• Sharpshooter.
• Last known occupation: Security Officer, National Airlines, Miami, FL.
• Initials: PWR
• Co-author of a book about the part of his career for which he is famous. Claimed his boss was portrayed on TV as too flattering.

Excellent prize of our choice from the Spybusters Countermeasures Compound vault. ~Kevin 

This is Paul Wenzel Robsky, the last of The Untouchables.

Birth: Oct. 16, 1897, Illinois, USA
Death: Nov. 1, 1973, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA
 

Paul was the only child of Theodore and Martha (Ellis) Robsky. He grew up in Galesburg, Illinois. Martha died when Paul was just a child. He married Louise B Bargeron and they had a daughter, Ena. Paul and Louise were later divorced and he married Helene R. Frame in Jan 1956.
 
Paul served in the military from Nov 7, 1917 until March 22, 1927. By 1928, he was a Prohibition Agent hunting bootleggers in the hills around Greenville, South Carolina. He was well known for his fast driving and sharpshooting skills. He made such an impression that in 1930, he was handpicked to join a band of lawmen in Chicago who became known as The Untouchables. He was an expert at wire-tapping and Elliot Ness called him "a good man to have around when more than ordinary courage was needed." Paul spent his last years in Florida and was the last living of The Untouchables.

His news photo, shown above, is available here...
http://www.tribunephotos.com/HJS-617-BS-Photo-Robsky-Wire-Tapping-Expert/dp/B00CD5URR6

His book, The Last of the Untouchables is also still available, as is the 1957 edition of The Untouchables, by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley.

Privacy Journal Book - Compilation of State and Federal Privacy Laws 2013

Privacy Journal announced their Compilation of State and Federal Privacy Laws 2013 is now available for sale. This new book replaces the 2002 book and all subsequent supplements in one consolidated hard copy edition, 80 pages, ISBN is 9780930072568.

This new book includes new privacy laws on demands for social-media passwords by employers and universities, use of credit reports by employers, new tracking technologies, new state restrictions on use and disclosure of Social Security numbers, plus updated chapters on credit reporting, medical, financial, testing in employment, insurance, government information, and much more, grouped by categories and listed alphabetically by states. Descriptions of state, federal, and Canadian laws are included.

There is an electronic edition that you may store it in your computer and search later by key words and states. $51 for both hard copy and pdf version ordered at the same time. Pdf only, $26.50. Hard copy only, $35 (includes shipping). Or, Discounts for five or more units ordered at one time.

The NSA Spy's Guide to Searching the Internet - DECLASSIFIED

Want to learn how to search like a spy? 
This 600+ page tome will help you do it.

Untangling the Web, A Guide to Internet Research – has just been declassified, to satisfy a Freedom of Information Request. Download the irony here.

Government Surveillance Ratchets Up

The Obama administration, resolving years of internal debate, is on the verge of backing a Federal Bureau of Investigation plan for a sweeping overhaul of surveillance laws that would make it easier to wiretap people who communicate using the Internet rather than by traditional phone services, according to officials familiar with the deliberations. (more)

Meanwhile...

Is the government recording and listening to your every phone call and probing every email for dangerous ideas? 

Probably—if certain insiders are to be believed. According to one former FBI agent, the US government may indeed keep a massive database where all domestic communications are recorded and stored....

From CNN interview transcripts:
 
(Ex-FBI) CLEMENTE: …We certainly have ways in national security investigations to find out exactly what was said in that conversation. 

(CNN) BURNETT: So they can actually get that? We can know what people are saying, that is incredible. 

(Ex-FBI) CLEMENTE: …Welcome to America. All of that stuff is being captured as we speak whether we know it or like it or not. (more)
And, where would you store all that chit-chat?

"The Utah Data Center, code-named Bumblehive, is the first Intelligence Community Comprehensive National Cyber-security Initiative (IC CNCI) data center designed to support the Intelligence Community's efforts to monitor, strengthen and protect the nation... NSA is the executive agent for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and will be the lead agency at the center." (more)

The heavily fortified $2 billion center should be up and running in September 2013. Flowing through its servers and routers and stored in near-bottomless databases will be all forms of communication, including the complete contents of private emails, cell phone calls, and Google searches, as well as all sorts of personal data trails—parking receipts, travel itineraries, bookstore purchases, and other digital “pocket litter.” (more)

Emergency Wristwatch for Spies... and Maybe Your CEO

Traveling in dangerous places? 
No cell phone service?
You may want one of these...

The Emergency II is equipped with a microtransmitter alternately operating on two separate frequencies over a 24-hour period. It transmits a first digital signal on the 406 MHz frequency intended for satellites and lasting 0.44 seconds every 50 seconds; as well as a second analog signal on the 121.5 MHz homing and rescue frequency, lasting 0.75 seconds every 2.25 seconds.



The development of this dual frequency transmitter specifically designed for the Emergency II was a major technical challenge, essentially due to its dimensions that had to be adapted to the wrist. Conducted in cooperation with an institute specializing in aerospace, defense and industry, it notably involved creating a new circuit exclusively dedicated to this instrument in order to be able to transmit on two frequencies and to do so within an extremely compact volume. 

The result is a record in terms of both miniaturization and guaranteed reliability, which lays down new benchmarks reaching well beyond the sphere of watchmaking. (more)

Price?
About US$18,600.00, if you go for the titanium bracelet instead of a rubber strap.
Hey, how much is your life worth?

FutureWatch - The Latest in TSCM-ware

A Princeton University team has successfully merged electronics and biology to create a functional ear that can “hear” radio frequencies. The tissue and antenna were merged via the use of an “off-the -shelf” 3D printer, and the results have the potential to not only restore but actually enhance human hearing in the future...

 

The ear itself consists of a coiled antenna within a cartilage structure, with two wires leading from the base and winding around the helical “cochlea” – the area of the ear that senses sound. The signal registered by the antenna could be connected to a patient's nerve endings in a similar way to a hearing aid, restoring and improving their ability to hear. (more & more)