U.S. Government Gets More Aggressive to Curb Espionage at Universities

The U.S. Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) thinks the FBI and other agencies are not doing enough to address the espionage threat on U.S. university campuses. 

It issued a report, “Enforcement Agencies Should Better Leverage Information to Target Efforts Involving U.S. Universities” on June 14, 2022, urging the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Commerce to step up their outreach efforts to address the threat. 

Commerce, DHS, and FBI have all concurred with GAO’s recommendations. As a result, U.S. colleges and universities to face yet another organizational risk: an increase in campuses visits by export control and law enforcement agents. more

Facebook May Owe You Money... due to wiretapping laws they transgressed.

Facebook's $90 Million Data Tracking Settlement: Find Out How Much You Could Be Owed

The deadline to find out if you're eligible for a payout is Sept. 22.

Were you on Facebook in 2010 or 2011? 

If so, you may be eligible for part of a class-action settlement from the social media giant stemming from a lawsuit accusing it of tracking users across other websites.

The plaintiffs in the case, Davis v. Facebook, allege the company was aware it violated privacy, communications and wiretap laws -- and its own contract -- by tracking logged-out users.

In 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Facebook profiting from the sale of users' data constituted a breach of privacy that caused economic harm. When the Supreme Court declined to review the case in March 2021, settlement negotiations began. more

Former Twitter Employee Convicted as Saudi Spy, or @jailbird

What does it cost to sell out and hand over the private information of the critics for a despotic regime? 

Apparently $300,000 and a nice watch. 

A former Twitter employee was convicted on six of his original 11 counts of operating as an agent for Saudi Arabia. The verdict came down late Tuesday, and all that’s left is sentencing, which could be up to 20 years in federal prison.

Federal prosecutors said that former Twitter employee Ahmad Abouammo, a U.S. resident born in Egypt who held dual U.S.-Lebanese citizenship, worked as a media partnership manager, helping promote the company while working with journalists and celebrities in the Middle East and north Africa. Feds further claimed that while in that job he had been working as a spy on behalf of the Saudi Arabian government from late 2014 to March 2015.

SOS (and more) With the Touch of a Finger

An electronic chip under your fingernail veneer, or anywhere else you care to hide it. 

It seems like spy tech. It is actually just NFC radio-transmission tech; same as when you hold your credit card near the payment terminal instead of swiping or plugging it in. 

The list of practical uses is long. The list of nefarious uses I leave to your imagination.

Virtual Call - Through the IoT Cloud Nail Chip, when you are in an Awkward Situation, you can quickly Schedule a Scheduled Virtual Call through your beautiful Fingertips and customize the reason for leaving. It is the best way to get out. At a critical moment, you can quickly ask for help by touching your mobile phone with your Fingertips, giving yourself more security. 

Information Sharing - Share Various cloud information with friends, such as importing mobile phone electronic business cards, sharing shopping website links, and downloading online disk files. more

FutureWatch: Preventing Microphones from Capturing a Target Speaker’s Voice

Over the decades, there have been many attempts at preventing electronic eavesdropping. The most popular methods employ "white noise" sound masking and ultrasonic jamming. These techniques are aimed at nullifying microphones. While these techniques have their pros and cons, they all share one trait. They target all sounds to all microphones in the area. Not helpful if only one person desires privacy while allowing others to continue communicating using their smartphones, Internet-of Things devices, or hearing aids.

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Michigan State University is working on a solution...

We propose NEC (Neural Enhanced Cancellation), a defense mechanism, which prevents unauthorized microphones from capturing a target speaker’s voice. Compared with the existing scrambling-based audio cancellation approaches, NEC can selectively remove a target speaker’s voice from a mixed speech without causing interference to others. ...The results show that NEC effectively mutes the target speaker at a microphone without interfering with other users’ normal conversations. more

Chinese Backup Chargers can Eavesdrop and Locate Individuals

Chinese media reporters have discovered that backup chargers can eavesdrop, locate citizens, and “live broadcast” citizens’ lives. However, this “spy backup charger,” which violates personal privacy, has been sold widely on e-commerce platforms in recent years. more

Fear the Peeper: 20 Years / 21,000 Covert Videos

Chilling update about hidden cameras that captured 21,000 secret videos of rental guests without consent over 20 years...

Shocking new information is now coming out about the South Carolina resident, who is currently out on a $10,000 bond.

Riviere surrendered to South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agents last week, who have reportedly collected "substantial" and "overwhelming" evidence against the 66-year-old.

Warrants show that the alleged incidents occurred between April and June 2001, when he filmed the victims “for the purpose of arousing or gratifying … sexual desire.”

But Ryan Beasley, an attorney representing the accuser in that case, said evidence from law enforcement shows 21,000 videos dating back almost 20 years. more

Protect yourself against hidden cameras.

Man Charged for Creating International Covert Spyware at Age 15

Australia - The man who is now 24, and his mother have both been charged, over the program used by domestic violence offenders and paedophiles. more / video

Practical Spy Gear: High-Tech Personal Electronics

Let’s rummage around in James Bond’s closet to discover some spy equipment with real-world applications...

Personal electronics have come a long way in just the past few years. This sampling of gear that used to be available only to spies just may prove useful in your daily life.

Uzi Parabolic Listening Kit

This comes in handy when you need to better hear what the referee is saying during a football game or want to listen to the songbirds in your backyard. The parabolic microphone and wind deflector funnel sound to an amplifier so you can hear every word or note clearly.
Keep It Clean

Destruct Pro Data Wipe Key

If you sell your computer or send it in for service, make sure your business or personal information doesn’t go along with it. Using a three-phase data-wiping process, this easy-to-use device can be used as often as needed on any PC whose contents you need to delete.
See What’s Ahead

Lanmodo Vast Pro Night Vision Driving Camera

Driving on dark, snowy, rainy, or foggy roads known to be populated with deer or pedestrians can be stressful. This system provides a clear, crisp image of what’s ahead, up to 984 feet, providing you with time to react. An integrated dashcam records in 1080p high-resolution.

NFL Espionage Book Released Today - "Spies on the Sidelines"

by Kevin Bryant

Hi, I’m so excited to announce that today is release day for Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage! I’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has supported me in getting to this point. I’m in debt to so many people for their contributions. Thank you all so much!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Spies on the Sidelines details the collection techniques NFL teams utilize to gather information about their opponents in order to gain a game day advantage, as well as the countermeasures used to defend against these. The book spans the entire history of the league and contains anecdotes from each and every NFL team.

ORDERING INFORMATION

If you still haven’t ordered Spies on the Sidelines (perhaps you’ve been waiting for just this day), here’s how to get yourself a copy—and don’t forget the book makes a great gift for the football fans in your life too.

Hardcover: The hard cover version is most easily purchased through Amazon (as everyone already has an account) but can also be bought through the publisher, Rowman & Littlefield (www.rowman.com), and there is a 30% discount with the code RLFANDF30 if the book is ordered from their website. Other options are also available at www.SpiesOnTheSidelines.com.

E-book: The e-book version can be found at Amazon, Rowman & Littlefield, and Apple Books.

Audio book: Unfortunately it's not quite available. The plan is to have it out by 1 September 2022.

LAWS ON RECORDING CONVERSATIONS IN ALL 50 STATES

2022 Update by MATTHIESEN, WICKERT & LEHRER, S.C.

Individuals, businesses, and the government often have a need to record telephone conversations that relate to their business, customers, or business dealings. 

The U.S. Congress and most states’ legislatures have passed telephone call recording statutes and regulations that may require the person wanting to record the conversation to provide notice and obtain consent before doing so. Most states require one-party consent, which can come from the person recording if present on the call. However, some states require that all parties to a call consent to recording.

Laws governing telephone call recording are typically found within state criminal statutes and codes because most states frame call recording as eavesdropping, wiretapping, or as a type of intercepted communication. State laws may not explicitly mention telephone call recording because of these technical definitions. Accordingly, counsel may need to infer when and under what circumstances a state permits telephone call recording by reviewing prohibited actions.

The big issue when it comes to recording someone is whether the jurisdiction you are in requires that you get the consent of the person or persons being recorded... more

Top Spy News of the Week

A huge data leak of 1 billion records exposes China’s vast surveillance state
One billion resident records were allegedly siphoned from a police database... A massive store of data containing information on about one billion Chinese residents could be one of the biggest breaches of personal information in history. more

How the FBI Wiretapped the World
We finally understand the code behind the Anom phones... For years criminal organizations around the world were buying a special phone called Anom. The pitch was that it was completely anonymous and secure, a way for criminals to do business without authorities watching over their shoulder. It turned out that the whole thing was an elaborate honeypot and that the FBI and law enforcement agencies around the world were listening in. They’d help develop the phones themselves. more

France Spied on Nearly 23,000 People in 2021 Using Technical Tools
France’s National Commission for the Control of Intelligence Techniques has claimed that nearly 23,000 people were spied on by French authorities last year using ‘technical tools’ like geolocation and recording conversations. more

MA - Lawmaker Hopes to Change Wiretapping Law

MA - A Massachusetts state lawmaker outlined his reasons for updating the state wiretapping law to allow victims of domestic violence to record their abusers...

Alex Fopiano was in court today as his lawyer asked the judge to dismiss the criminal charges against him. He is accused of attempting to suffocate his wife, Shauna Fopiano, with a pillow...

She was criminally charged with eight counts of illegal wiretapping for making secret recordings of her husband, her alleged abuser. In a deal approved earlier this month, the charges will be dismissed in six months as long as she commits no other crimes.

"I was shocked that this is something that could still actually happen to somebody in Massachusetts," said state Sen. Patrick O'Connor, R-Weymouth.

The state's wiretapping law makes it a criminal offense to record someone without their permission. O'Connor said it should be updated to include an exemption to give victims of domestic violence the chance to record their abusers. more

17 CIA Tips - Think like a spy and stay safe while on vacation

The CIA is releasing these tips – or travel tradecraft, in spy parlance – as part of its ongoing effort to demystify its work in assisting the American public, according to agency spokesperson Walter Trosin.

I found the CIA's best practices, culled from the experience of its officers in the field, are exceptionally helpful, easy to adopt and especially relevant to Americans in these fraught times.

Here’s how to think like a spy on the ground overseas... more

Walmart Patents Technology to Eavesdrop on Workers

In the latest piece of evidence that we’re living squarely in a dystopia, Walmart has won a patent for technology that will allow bosses to eavesdrop on their workers. 

The audio surveillance technology can measure workers’ performance and listen to their conversations with customers at checkout. The “listening to the frontend” technology, as its called, might never be used—it’s one of many patents the company has applied for in recent years—but shows that company bosses are thinking about how they can use tech to monitor their workers. 

Walmart said in a statement: “We’re always thinking about new concepts and ways that will help us further enhance how we serve customers... more