Friday, October 25, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Citing "Terrifying" Surveillance Tactics, Yet Another U.S. Privacy Service Shuts Down
Yet another American Internet privacy service has bitten the dust, prompted by fears about broad government surveillance demands.
San Francisco-based CryptoSeal, a provider of virtual private networks that can be used to browse the Internet anonymously, has closed its doors to users of its private VPN service.
In a statement posted online, CryptoSeal announced that a key factor in the closure was the government’s recently revealed attempt to force email provider Lavabit to turn over its private encryption keys. Lavabit shut down in August as part of an effort to resist a surveillance demand believed to involve NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, who was a Lavabit customer. Lavabit was ordered to turn over its master encryption keys in a way that could have potentially compromised thousands of users’ private data. (more)
San Francisco-based CryptoSeal, a provider of virtual private networks that can be used to browse the Internet anonymously, has closed its doors to users of its private VPN service.
In a statement posted online, CryptoSeal announced that a key factor in the closure was the government’s recently revealed attempt to force email provider Lavabit to turn over its private encryption keys. Lavabit shut down in August as part of an effort to resist a surveillance demand believed to involve NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, who was a Lavabit customer. Lavabit was ordered to turn over its master encryption keys in a way that could have potentially compromised thousands of users’ private data. (more)
Court Rules: NO GPS for LEOs w/o CO
A federal appeals court has ruled that law enforcement officials must obtain a warrant before attaching a GPS unit to a suspect’s car and tracking them...
“Today’s decision is a victory for all Americans because it ensures that the police cannot use powerful tracking technology without court supervision and a good reason to believe it will turn up evidence of wrongdoing,” American Civil Liberties Union attorney Catherine Crump said in a statement. “These protections are important because where people go reveals a great deal about them, from who their friends are, where they visit the doctor and where they choose to worship.”
The three-judge panel determined that installing GPS technology was a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the US constitution, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. The judges’ final decision said the actions of the police were “highly disconcerting.” (more)
The three-judge panel determined that installing GPS technology was a violation of the Fourth Amendment to the US constitution, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures. The judges’ final decision said the actions of the police were “highly disconcerting.” (more)
Rental Company Settles Spyware Case
The Federal Trade Commission says Atlanta-based furniture renter Aaron's Inc. has agreed to a settlement over allegations that it helped place spyware on computers that secretly monitored consumers by taking webcam pictures of them in their homes.
The FTC said in a Tuesday news release that Aaron's will be prohibited from using spyware that captures screenshots or activates the camera on a consumer's computer, except to provide requested technical support.
Aaron's officials previously blamed individual franchisees for the spyware. But the FTC said Aaron's knowingly played a direct role in the use of the spyware. (more)
Aaron's officials previously blamed individual franchisees for the spyware. But the FTC said Aaron's knowingly played a direct role in the use of the spyware. (more)
No Jail for Skype Sex Scandal Cadets
Australia - The two men at the centre of the Australian Defence Force Academy Skype scandal have avoided jail time.
Daniel McDonald, 21, secretly filmed himself having sex with a female cadet and streamed it live to Dylan Deblaquiere, 21, in a nearby dorm room at ADFA in Canberra in 2011.
Earlier this year a jury found the pair guilty of sending offensive material over the internet without consent. McDonald was also found guilty of an act of indecency.
In sentencing today in the ACT Supreme Court, Acting Justice John Nield rejected jail time... Instead he handed McDonald two 12-month good behaviour bonds, to be served concurrently, and Deblaquiere a single 12-month good behaviour bond. He warned they will go to jail if they breach their orders... "General deterrence has been achieved," he said...
The Department of Defence has confirmed it will take action in relation to McDonald. (more)
Daniel McDonald, 21, secretly filmed himself having sex with a female cadet and streamed it live to Dylan Deblaquiere, 21, in a nearby dorm room at ADFA in Canberra in 2011.
Earlier this year a jury found the pair guilty of sending offensive material over the internet without consent. McDonald was also found guilty of an act of indecency.
In sentencing today in the ACT Supreme Court, Acting Justice John Nield rejected jail time... Instead he handed McDonald two 12-month good behaviour bonds, to be served concurrently, and Deblaquiere a single 12-month good behaviour bond. He warned they will go to jail if they breach their orders... "General deterrence has been achieved," he said...
The Department of Defence has confirmed it will take action in relation to McDonald. (more)
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Bugging Boss for a Raise Lands Three Employees in Jail
China - Three public officials were each sentenced to 20 months in jail for illegally wiretapping a county Communist Party chief of central China's Hunan Province, according to a local court ruling on Tuesday.
Li Yi, an official with the supervision office of the Mayang Miao Autonomous County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Yang Fan, a Mayang court officer and Liu Yang, a police officer, were guilty of illegal wiretapping and secretly filming a county Party chief, according to the ruling of the district people's court of Hecheng, Huaihua City, which administers Mayang County.
They were guilty of placing hidden cameras in the office of Hu Jiawu, secretary of the CPC Mayang Miao Autonomous County Committee, spying on Hu and storing video footage on a removable disk between March 13 and Oct. 2 in 2012. They used the footage to try and blackmail Hu for promotion, according to the ruling. (more)
Li Yi, an official with the supervision office of the Mayang Miao Autonomous County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Yang Fan, a Mayang court officer and Liu Yang, a police officer, were guilty of illegal wiretapping and secretly filming a county Party chief, according to the ruling of the district people's court of Hecheng, Huaihua City, which administers Mayang County.
They were guilty of placing hidden cameras in the office of Hu Jiawu, secretary of the CPC Mayang Miao Autonomous County Committee, spying on Hu and storing video footage on a removable disk between March 13 and Oct. 2 in 2012. They used the footage to try and blackmail Hu for promotion, according to the ruling. (more)
Landlord, Tenant, SpyCam - What Could Possibly...
I stopped posting these stories a while back, simply because there were so many of them. This is just a reminder. The SpyCam is the Number One illegal eavesdropping tool in use today.
Canada - An employee at a major Canadian broadcaster is facing charges of voyeurism, mischief and defamatory libel. 56-year-old David Sealey was arrested Saturday after a man saw a woman he knew secretly filmed in an online video. He notified the victim, who reported the incident to police.
A search warrant was issued and over 150 voyeuristic videos of women were found on a computer inside Sealey’s home, along with recording devices.
The female victim rented a room from Sealey in the Richmond Ave. and Spadina Ave. area and police believe there could be more victims. (more)
Canada - An employee at a major Canadian broadcaster is facing charges of voyeurism, mischief and defamatory libel. 56-year-old David Sealey was arrested Saturday after a man saw a woman he knew secretly filmed in an online video. He notified the victim, who reported the incident to police.
A search warrant was issued and over 150 voyeuristic videos of women were found on a computer inside Sealey’s home, along with recording devices.
The female victim rented a room from Sealey in the Richmond Ave. and Spadina Ave. area and police believe there could be more victims. (more)
Captain Crunch sez... "Here's looking at you, matey."
It’s not quite “Minority Report”-levels of creepiness, but it’s getting there.
Mondelez International, whose properties include Chips Ahoy, Nabisco, Ritz and other high-profile snack brands, says it’s planning to debut a grocery shelf in 2015 that comes equipped with sensors to determine the age and sex of passing customers.
The shelf, which is hooked up to Microsoft’s Kinect controller, will be able to use basic facial features like bone structure to build a profile of a potential snacker, Mondelez chief information officer Mark Dajani told the Wall Street Journal. While pictures of your actual face won’t be stored (yet), aggregate demographic data from thousands of transactions will be. (more)
I spy a tipping point. We are sailing into Fedup Bay. Watch the backlash, me hardies.
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| He saw this coming. |
The shelf, which is hooked up to Microsoft’s Kinect controller, will be able to use basic facial features like bone structure to build a profile of a potential snacker, Mondelez chief information officer Mark Dajani told the Wall Street Journal. While pictures of your actual face won’t be stored (yet), aggregate demographic data from thousands of transactions will be. (more)
I spy a tipping point. We are sailing into Fedup Bay. Watch the backlash, me hardies.
Ex-School IT Director Faces Trial on Wiretapping Charge
PA - The former technology director for Easton Area School District accused of secretly recording a private meeting will face trial in Northampton County Court.
Thomas Drago, 54, acknowledged at a hearing Tuesday that prosecutors have enough evidence to merit a wiretap violation charge. Drago's attorney, Philip Lauer said his client will apply for a first-time offender's program. Drago remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail.
In August, Drago surrendered to authorities for allegedly recording a conversation with school officials without their permission. Drago, 54, of Bushkill Township resigned shortly before an internal probe this year uncovered nude photos on his work computer. (more)
Thomas Drago, 54, acknowledged at a hearing Tuesday that prosecutors have enough evidence to merit a wiretap violation charge. Drago's attorney, Philip Lauer said his client will apply for a first-time offender's program. Drago remains free on $50,000 unsecured bail.
In August, Drago surrendered to authorities for allegedly recording a conversation with school officials without their permission. Drago, 54, of Bushkill Township resigned shortly before an internal probe this year uncovered nude photos on his work computer. (more)
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Doc v. Doc Bugging Ends in House Call to Graybar Motel
India - Spying on his wife landed a qualified doctor husband behind bars on Saturday.
Dr Gyaneshwar Maini, who owns a private hospital, was arrested for keeping a tab on the locations and conversations of his wife, while installing a high-quality Global Positioning System (GPS) along with a micro-mike packed in a black box in the steering wheel of her sedan car for the past eight months.
The victim is also a qualified doctor and employed with a leading private hospital in Mohali.
Police have also decided to take legal action against employees of a private firm, who installed the device in the car of the woman.
The GPS system, along with a mike, was in a black box worth Rs 18,000 ($293.76), which was detected with the help of an expert from a private company, which supplies these gadgets.
The black box was linked with a 10-digit cell number used by Dr Maini's friend. Police said the installer of the device in the car has identified Dr Maini. In her complaint to the police, the woman suspected that there was some instrument in her car, which was keeping a tab on her movements and conversations, about which her husband would come to know even without her telling him. (more)
The victim is also a qualified doctor and employed with a leading private hospital in Mohali.
Police have also decided to take legal action against employees of a private firm, who installed the device in the car of the woman.
The GPS system, along with a mike, was in a black box worth Rs 18,000 ($293.76), which was detected with the help of an expert from a private company, which supplies these gadgets.
The black box was linked with a 10-digit cell number used by Dr Maini's friend. Police said the installer of the device in the car has identified Dr Maini. In her complaint to the police, the woman suspected that there was some instrument in her car, which was keeping a tab on her movements and conversations, about which her husband would come to know even without her telling him. (more)
No more, "Gee, I thought you said..." — Record Your Cell Phone Calls
Here's a useful item for PIs, Security and LEOs — a way to document important cell phone calls, without app sapping charges. No more, "Gee, I thought you said..."
Recording Cell Phone conversations using apps is not possible on iPhone, Droid or BlackBerry without paying per minute charges. The Call Mynah Cell Phone Recorder gives you complete control of Recording Cell Phone Calls. You decide to Record Mobile Phone Calls or not, set up your Call Mynah to Record Cell Phone (all calls) or only as you choose.
Recording Cell Phone conversations using apps is not possible on iPhone, Droid or BlackBerry without paying per minute charges. The Call Mynah Cell Phone Recorder gives you complete control of Recording Cell Phone Calls. You decide to Record Mobile Phone Calls or not, set up your Call Mynah to Record Cell Phone (all calls) or only as you choose.
- 340 hours of Cell Phone Recording storage
- Connects to any mobile phone via Bluetooth to create a simple Cell Phone Call Recorder
- Automatically Record Cell Phone Calls (manual recording options too)
- Saves all Cell Phone Records, call details (date, time, number, duration, call type)
- Add comments to calls and flag as 'Important'
- Upload calls to your PC for easy management (software supplied)
- 150 Hours standby, 8 hours talking before battery charge
- Call recording warn tone or prompt can be sent to callers (optional)
- Handset, Speakerphone or Headset (supplied) operation
- Security features to prevent unauthorized listening to your calls (more)
Saturday, October 19, 2013
RARE - Politico Admits to Phone Tapping & Butt Bugging
Zambia - Zambian President Admits to Spying on Fellow Officials
During his 2011 election campaign, the current president of Zambia, Michael Sata rose to popularity by playing on anti-Chinese sentiment and the anger of laborers over poor standards at the many large Chinese-run mines in Zambia... According to Global Voices, he tapped the phone of his foreign minister and also planted a bug underneath a chair in the office of the leader of Barotseland region, whose citizens want to secede from Zambia. (more)
During his 2011 election campaign, the current president of Zambia, Michael Sata rose to popularity by playing on anti-Chinese sentiment and the anger of laborers over poor standards at the many large Chinese-run mines in Zambia... According to Global Voices, he tapped the phone of his foreign minister and also planted a bug underneath a chair in the office of the leader of Barotseland region, whose citizens want to secede from Zambia. (more)
Industrial Espionage Threats to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)
The former president of a transportation company in Texas was sentenced in federal court last month to five years in prison for hacking into his former employer’s computer network and stealing proprietary business information he intended to use for his start-up. The case underscores the fact that much like major corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are targets for industrial espionage.
SMEs are in many ways are more vulnerable than big businesses, which are capable of employing a small army of security specialists to safeguard intellectual property, said Michel Juneau-Katsuya, president and CEO of the Northgate Group, an international security firm based in Canada.
SMEs very often perceive security as an extravagance. “In times of austerity that sin of security expense is one of the first things that get eliminated,” he told IMT.
To a certain extent, the strategic importance of protection has become even more critical for SMEs. When it comes to stolen prototypes or proprietary technology, larger companies seem more capable of absorbing the loss. “If you’re a big guy and you lose a gadget, you can probably recover from that,” he said. “But if you’re a small or medium-sized company, you lose your intellectual property, you might actually break your back and lose your company." (more)
Sometimes it is smart to be extravagant. ~Kevin
SMEs are in many ways are more vulnerable than big businesses, which are capable of employing a small army of security specialists to safeguard intellectual property, said Michel Juneau-Katsuya, president and CEO of the Northgate Group, an international security firm based in Canada.
SMEs very often perceive security as an extravagance. “In times of austerity that sin of security expense is one of the first things that get eliminated,” he told IMT.
To a certain extent, the strategic importance of protection has become even more critical for SMEs. When it comes to stolen prototypes or proprietary technology, larger companies seem more capable of absorbing the loss. “If you’re a big guy and you lose a gadget, you can probably recover from that,” he said. “But if you’re a small or medium-sized company, you lose your intellectual property, you might actually break your back and lose your company." (more)
Sometimes it is smart to be extravagant. ~Kevin
Yet Another Bird Spying Story
Headlines of fowl accused of spying for Israel are making rounds again in Middle Eastern press, with the most recent bird of espionage 'arrested' in Lebanon. Hezbollah and Iranian-affiliated websites reported today that an Israeli 'spy eagle' had been caught this past weekend in Lebanon.
According to one Lebanese news site, the eagle had been caught in the town of Achkout by local hunters who alerted authorities after discovering that the bird had an ID ring attached to its leg with the words "Israel" and "Tel Aviv University" printed on it. (really bad spycraft :)
The Hezbollah- affiliated Al-Manar TV, whose news site's section on Israel is simply called "Enemy Entity," claimed that the eagle was one of many birds sent by Israel to spy and gather information via GPS transmitters across the Middle East. The report pointed to the "arrest of birds carrying similar devices" in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and most recently in Egypt. (more) (sing-a-long)
According to one Lebanese news site, the eagle had been caught in the town of Achkout by local hunters who alerted authorities after discovering that the bird had an ID ring attached to its leg with the words "Israel" and "Tel Aviv University" printed on it. (really bad spycraft :)
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| "On the lookout for bird spies here." |
Gordon Ramsay Knows What's Cooking... in His Daughter's Bedroom... using a SpyCam
Gordon Ramsay has admitted to being all kinds of inappropriate by revealing he put a video camera in his 15 year old daughter's bedroom to see what she gets up to with her boyfriend.
It seems Ramsay is not the first. Last year an American college student was granted a civil stalking order against her overprotective parents after they installed spying software on her electronic devices.(more)
It seems Ramsay is not the first. Last year an American college student was granted a civil stalking order against her overprotective parents after they installed spying software on her electronic devices.(more)
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