The Case of the Spying Judge, or Your Honor's Poor Judgement

Two state judges have sued the New Mexico Judicial Standards Commission, demanding secret surveillance recordings they say were made by another judge who was spying on them.

Plaintiffs Trudy Reed-Chase and Barry Sharer are magistrate court judges in Aztec, New Mexico, the seat of San Juan County. Aztec, a town of about 6,000 is in a remote area of northeastern New Mexico. The nearest large town is Farmington.

Reed-Chase, Sharer and nine other court employees sued Magistrate Court Judge Connie Lee Johnston, her husband and sister-in-law and the state in February 2016, claiming that Johnston had planted listening devices around the Aztec Municipal Courthouse, including in the offices of Reed-Chase and Sharer. They claimed that electronic surveillance equipment also was placed in the court manager’s office and other workspaces, in inmate holding facilities and in at least one bathroom. more

One Million License Plates Misread by Spy Cameras in UK... every day!

UK - A network of ‘Big Brother’ spy cameras is misreading 1.2million number plates a day – meaning innocent motorists could be caught up in police investigations while criminals and terrorists escape scot-free.

A bombshell report by Britain’s surveillance tsar has warned of problems with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, which senior officers insist is invaluable in preventing and solving serious crimes

Around 9,000 cameras across the country take photos of up to 40million number plates each day. more

Unresolved Bugging of Employees Haunts Accused CEO

The newly-appointed acting CEO of the Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (Prasa), Cromet Molepo, was facing disciplinary proceedings for bugging telephones — including that of a senior shop steward — when he resigned as the head of Umgeni Water... attorney Julian von Klemperer,  was tasked by the board to investigate the phone tapping allegations.... The “bugging” scandal received widespread publicity at the time... Von Klemperer found that the telephones of three people — two former employees and the shop steward — were bugged on the instructions of Molepo...
Payments — totaling R51 000 — for the illegal surveillance were made through an attorney’s office in order to conceal them. When the attorney discovered the truth, he withdrew his services and blew the whistle. more

Reward if Found?

Lost in Space: Highly Classified Spy Satellite

An expensive, highly classified U.S. spy satellite is presumed to be a total loss after it failed to reach orbit atop a Space Exploration Technologies Corp. rocket on Sunday, according to industry and government officials.

Lawmakers and congressional staffers from the Senate and the House have been briefed about the botched mission, some of the officials said. The secret payload—code-named Zuma and launched from Florida on board a Falcon 9 rocket—is believed to have plummeted back into the atmosphere, they said, because it didn’t separate as planned from the upper part of the rocket. more

What Becomes of Industrial Espionage?

Ever wonder what happens to all the intellectual property that is collected by corporate espionage snoops? An article in Wired Magazine gives some clues in Tesla's Latest Chinese Competitor Takes Screens to an Extreme...

Chinese car startup Byton unveiled an SUV... if the company manages to sell for the quoted $45,000 price, will excite people who can’t wait for a Tesla Model 3...

“What’s significant here is they seem to have done a thorough job of answering all the questions,” said Stephanie Brinley, Senior Analyst at IHS Markit, as we pushed through the crowds trying to take pictures of the crazy interior through the windows. “They seem to have learnt from some of the others who had more ideas, and less detail.”...

The SUV should be good for over 300 miles of range from a 71- or 95-kwh battery back, quite similar to what Tesla offers. The battery can be fast charged to 80 percent in 30 minutes, totally plausible with current technology. It will come with single, or dual motors, just like Tesla cars.

Ostensibly, this is an article about a new car, but the espionage undertones are obvious.

Keep an eye out to see where your intellectual property is popping up. Better yet, keep an eye out for the easiest-to-spot, early warning sign you are under attack, electronic eavesdropping.

Smart businesses conduct regularly scheduled Technical Surveillance Countermeasures bug sweeps, aka TSCM. It's a standard security practice. You can learn more about it, here.

Corporate Espionage Alert - Whale Phishing in 2018

Phishing scams are becoming ever more sophisticated...

“We need to focus on people patching and the human firewall,” said Anthony Dagostino, global head of cyber risk at Willis Towers Watson. “This requires more effective training and awareness campaigns to make sure people aren’t clicking on things...

“We will see more whale phishing in 2018, where cyber criminals will target individuals based on things like their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles,” Dagostino told Insurance Business. “General counsel, chief financial officers and even board members are being very specifically targeted just for hackers to get certain information they have.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be for a data breach – it’s really corporate espionage driven. They either want to get information on an up-coming acquisition, or future business plans that they can use for insider trading.” more

UPDATE - PA State Police Investigating Possible Wiretapping... of them.

A New Milford man suspected of listening in to phone calls in the Gibson barracks had an assault-style rifle and bombs at home, state police said.  

Nathan J. Grover, 28, 512 Old Route 11, is sought on charges of weapons of mass destruction, prohibited weapons and drug-related crimes. Capt. Christopher Paris, commander of Troop R, which includes the Gibson barracks, confirmed Friday that Grover was not in custody.

State police became aware that Grover, who worked for North-Eastern Pennsylvania Telephone Co., may have been using his position to listen to phone calls at the Gibson barracks, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday by Sgt. Michael Joyce...

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the Gibson barracks at 570-465-3154. more

Amazon Echo ‘Drop In’ Feature - Easy Eavesdropping?

As voice-based “personal assistants” are becoming ubiquitous in modern, connected American homes, so is the feeling they might be listening in on people when they least expect it or want it.

Amazon Echo, Dot and Show users know that Alexa is always listening. With a simple command she can turn on your lights, play music and even order pizza.

But do you know who else might be listening in to everything going on in your home? more

Workplace Spycam Man Pleads Guilty

PA - A Douglass man faces court supervision after he admitted to invading the privacy of a female co-worker by planting a camera under her desk and recording her at their Montgomery Township workplace.

Anthony Joseph DePaul, 35, of the 100 block of Chalet Road, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to four years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of invasion of privacy in connection with the incidents...

Lens on a typical key-fob spy camera.

“The device was attached to the bottom of her desk with Velcro and was pointed in the direction of her chair,” Montgomery Township Police Officer James T. Matlack alleged in the criminal complaint...

The device, which was provided to police, was small with a lens at one end, court documents indicate...several employees stated they had observed DePaul near the desk of the female victim in the weeks leading up to the discovery of the camera...

When detectives interviewed DePaul about the matter he admitted to placing the camera under the woman’s desk four to five times and to recording the victim as she sat at her desk, according to the criminal complaint. more

Counter-Espionage For Business Travelers Course

The Counter-Espionage for Business Travelers Course is a two-day seminar designed to educate those individuals in your organization who may become targets of espionage, whether knowingly or unknowingly, from an economic competitor or a hostile intelligence service.

Unfortunately, most business travelers are untrained, and thus unprepared, to handle even the most common espionage tactics, such as:

• Elicitation
• Bribery
• Blackmail
• Extortion
• Electronic Surveillance
• Electronic Exploitation
• Physical Surveillance
• Hotel/Office Covert Intrusions

A small sample of the topics covered include:

• Economic vs. Industrial Espionage
• Foreign Intelligence Collection Methods
• How to Recognize Elicitation and Recruiting Techniques
• Operational Security (OPSEC) Awareness
• Communication Security (COMSEC) Awareness
• Data Attack and Intrusion Methodologies
• How to become an "Invisible Traveler"
• Surveillance Detection Techniques

If you can't go for the course, at least go for some good books on the subject:

Among Enemies: Counter Espionage for the Business Traveler by Luke Bencie.

Staying Safe Abroad: Traveling, Working & Living in a Post-9/11 World by Edward L. Lee

Court Rules: Agricultural Spying is Free Speech

A federal appeals court panel says Idaho’s ban on spying at farms, dairies and slaughterhouses violates free speech rights. 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled that sections of the law illegally targeted free speech and investigative journalism. However, the panel also ruled the law correctly criminalized those who made false statements to obtain records at an agricultural facility.

Idaho lawmakers passed the law making it a crime to surreptitiously videotape agriculture operations in 2014 after the state’s $2.5 billion dairy industry complained that videos of cows being abused at a southern Idaho dairy unfairly hurt their businesses. more

Digital Spying And Divorce In The Smartphone Age

Typical magnetic mount GPS tracker.

...from a lengthy, well written, NPR report...

It was the summer of 2016, and M was worried her ex-husband was stalking her. She would get out of town and stay with friends. But, as she noted in court documents, her ex seemed to know exactly where she was and whom she visited — down to the time of day and street...

Welcome to divorce in the 21st century — when what it means to be safe and how much privacy you're entitled to are open questions.

M's case is not unique. NPR talked with dozens of marital experts. They say digital spying is changing divorce as we know it. The tools are abundant. Clients use it in an effort to stay in control after a separation or to gather evidence of extra-marital affairs or drug abuse. But the laws are murky, and law enforcement is lagging far behind. more

Multiple Bathroom Spy Cameras = 30 Days in Jail

Typical air freshener spy camera.

A man charged after “multiple covert and hidden” cameras were found inside bathrooms of a Maine vacation home he rented with family and friends has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

Joseph J. McGrath, 32, of East Longmeadow, Mass., was charged in September with 10 counts of violation of privacy after police in York were called to the home, where hidden cameras – some disguised as air fresheners – were found in four bathrooms, according to the York Police Department...

The cameras allegedly placed by McGrath targeted both children and adults staying at the home while on vacation with him, police said. more

The White House West Wing Bans Personal Mobile Phones

The White House is banning its employees from using personal mobile phones while at work in the West Wing... White House chief of staff John Kelly imposed the ban, citing security concerns...

There are too many devices connected to the White House wireless network, and personal phones aren’t as secure as those issued by the federal government, said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal White House matter.

Aides who opposed the ban said they cannot use their work phones for personal use, and that work phones can’t accommodate texting. They believe the ban will be a hardship because texting is often the easiest way for their families to reach them in the middle of a busy day of meetings. more

"How are they going to enforce that!" I hear you say. 
 Most likely with AirPatrolTM for Security. 

TV Producer Accused of Using Unauthorized Camera

NY - A Pleasantville CNBC-TV producer accused of spying on his teenage nanny with a secret camera he placed in the bathroom of his home is due to appear in village court Tuesday evening.

From a Walmart on-line ad.

Dan Switzen, 44, who was arrested by Pleasantville Police in November, allegedly hid a camera inside a tissue box on the counter of the bathroom, according to authorities.

The camera was discovered when his 18-year-old live-in nanny and two friends discovered the camera and took it to police. more