Russian Spy Ring in Australia Busted (and more)

A Russian spy ring in Australia operated in the country for more than 18 months before it was broken in a counter espionage operation by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

The Australian domestic intelligence service spent months tracking the spies and ensured they did not suspect they were being watched, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Sources with knowledge of the ASIO operation say some of the Russian agents posed as diplomatic and consular staff while others used deep cover identities. more

A Russian citizen, who has been living and conducting business activities in Poland for many years, has been charged with spying for Russia between 2015 and April 2022, Polish authorities said on Thursday. more

North Sea countries on alert after Russian ‘spy ship’ scouts wind farms... A Russian vessel attempting to map out energy infrastructure for possible sabotage was escorted away from a North Sea wind farm by Dutch authorities, according to media reports. more

China, Russia targeting Canada's artificial intelligence know-how, CSIS warns. more

The Rest of the Story: US Government Has Been Dancing...

...Around UFOs for 75 Years

A legacy of hype, hysteria and fraud is undermining legitimate inquiry into those strange objects in the sky, whether you call them spy balloons, flying saucers or unidentified aerial phenomena...

...on June 24, 1947, when Kenneth Arnold, a businessman and pilot, spotted nine objects flying at unfathomable speed near Mount Rainier in Washington.

Arnold dutifully reported these to aviation officials. When pressed to describe the movement of the curious craft, he likened it to “a saucer skipping across the water.” This initial report went out across the news wires. Bored reporters eager to make something of the story ran with it, inventing details along the way.

In a few days, journalists had turned Arnold’s movement metaphor into something more material: a “flying saucer.” Arnold complained to veteran journalist Edward Murrow that newspapers had “misunderstood and misquoted me,” but to no avail. The idea of a flying saucer immediately captured the nation’s imagination, sparking a flood of alleged sightings. more  (Klaatu would not approve.)

Chinese Spy Balloon Close Up

It's arguably the greatest selfie ever taken. A pilot aboard the Air Force's legendary U-2 spy plane is looking down at China's alleged spy balloon as it hovers somewhere over the United States.

The photo, taken on Feb. 3 and released by the Department of Defense on Wednesday, has reportedly reached legendary status inside the Pentagon.

But where, exactly, was it taken? In a world with very few secrets, it's actually possible to answer that question.

The balloon and the U-2 spy plane were just south of the tiny city of Bellflower, Missouri, population 325, according to the U.S. Census. more

Extra Credit: 
Japanese Mystery Ball Live: 

After ‘Spy Balloon’ Conundrums, 

‘Mystery Ball’ Spotted On Japan’s Beach

Tin Foil Hats - When it is Not All in Your Mind

Tin Foil Hats - When it is Not All in Your Mind

FBI Lab Will Get to the ‘Guts’ of Chinese Balloon

The US has finished work to recover sunken remnants of the Chinese balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina and the debris reinforces that it was for spying, officials have said.

The White House national security spokesman, John Kirby, said the wreckage included “electronics and optics” but declined to say what the US had learned from it so far.

“It’s a significant amount [of recovered material], including the payload structure as well as some of the electronics and the optics, and all that’s now at the FBI laboratory in Quantico,” Kirby said. more

Corporate Espionage: ASML Claims Employee Stole Chip Secrets–Sold them to China

ASML has a monopoly over the global semiconductor industry, and has currently restricted the sale of its machinery to China. 

ASML claims that in an episode of corporate espionage, an employee stole their chip manufacturing secrets and sold it to China...

Based on its preliminary investigations, ASML believes that the misappropriated data will not have a negative impact on its current operations, although it concedes that some “export control requirements” may have been breached. ASML has subsequently disclosed the data breach to the appropriate authorities, and it is “implementing further corrective steps in light of this event.” more

'Rabbit Hole' Clip Shows Kiefer Sutherland as a Mastermind of Corporate Espionage

A lengthy new clip has been released for Paramount+'s upcoming spy thriller series, Rabbit Hole...

Rabbit Hole stars Kiefer Sutherland as John Weir, a master manipulator who helps corrupt corporate businesses...

This scene shows how the series will be a diabolical foray into corporate espionage. more

Green Bay City Hall Surveillance Recording

FOX 11 has obtained 90 minutes of video and audio from Green Bay City Hall’s surveillance system, which has been the subject of controversy and accusations of invasion of privacy.

...obtained the city hall surveillance recordings through an open records request...to confirm Green Bay’s use of audio surveillance at city hall...

Green Bay city administrators have said they installed microphones for safety reasons. However, some city council members and outside attorneys claim the surveillance violates state and federal laws...

In the last week, the city denied requests to disable the microphones and delete any recordings...

One party consent is the law in Wisconsin. more

Whose Fingering Who in Spying This Week

• Netherlands Gives Russian Diplomats the Boot After Accusations of Spying more

• AI Can Be Used in Spying, Cost US Jobs, Experts Warn more

• Forget balloons. Are the Chinese spying on everyone through regular surveillance cameras? more

• Pakistan releases Bhil tribal imprisoned for 'spying' on nuclear facility for India more

• Russia launches criminal case against American, alleges ‘biological’ spying more

• Blinken says US has ‘no doubt’ China was conducting surveillance with balloon more

• ‘No apology’ from China over spy balloon: Blinken more

• Ex-KGB spy gives lesson in Soviet-style seduction more

• Gen. Keane: China spy craft shows how serious Beijing is in achieving ‘regional and global domination” more

Andrew Tate and the Wiretaps

The controversial social media personality Andrew Tate was carted off by Romanian police in December 2022 and accused of sex trafficking and organized crime. However, new wiretaps show that 2 women framed him and his brother Tristan Tate after infiltrating their lives and involving the embassy...

It's unclear what exactly is going on with Tate's charges in Romania and nobody knows whether these wiretap revelations will have an impact on his case moving forward. His fans wait impatiently for the outcome while the many people who dislike him continue to rejoice that he is behind bars. more

Spy History: The "Detective Dictograph"

The General Acoustic Company in New York manufactured and sold the "Detective Dictograph" which they patented in 1907--only ten years after Marconi's first successful transatlantic radio transmission.

The "Detective Dictograph" was a neat suitcase with a complete covert electronic audio surveillance system, which included a special carbon microphone for concealment and a long cable to run to the suitcase where the operator would covertly monitor the audio on headphones in the next room.

Yes, people were electronically bugging other people over 100 years ago.

NLRB vs. Employer Surveillance of Employees

A significant concern for managers of remote workers is the ability to engage, manage and monitor performance and productivity – and some healthcare employers have turned to technologies like tracking employee keystrokes, capturing screenshots, and on-camera requirements for employees during work hours.

This has caught the attention of the National Labor Relations Board’s General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, who recently issued a memorandum seeking to broaden of the National Labor Relations Act (the “Act”) and limit the electronic surveillance of employees...

Under well-established law, an employer can be found to violate Section 8(a)(1) of the Act if it implements new monitoring technologies in response to union and other protected activity, uses existing technologies to discover such protected activity, including by reviewing security-camera footage or employees’ social-media accounts; or creates the impression that it is doing such things. more

Possible New Exception to the All Party Consent Wiretap Law

Maryland is currently considering Senate Bill 749, permitting a person to intercept wire, oral, or electronic communication under certain circumstances. The bill was introduced on February 6, 2023, and has been assigned to the Judicial Proceedings Committee. If passed, the bill would amend the existing law prohibiting the interception of any communication without the consent of the parties involved.

Currently, Maryland law states that any person who willfully intercepts or discloses wire, oral, or electronic communication without the consent of the parties involved is guilty of a felony and is subject to imprisonment for up to five years or a fine of up to $10,000 or both. However, Senate Bill 749 would provide an exception to this law, allowing a person to intercept communication without the consent of the parties involved if the person reasonably believes they are in imminent danger of becoming a victim of certain crimes.

The proposed amendment to the law would allow a person to intercept communication if they reasonably believe they are in imminent danger of becoming the victim of a crime of violence, stalking, abuse, or a violation of a protective order. more

The Missing "Key Fob" That Made a Lt. Col. Sweat

An Army officer who leads ROTC at California Polytechnic State University faces criminal charges after a preteen girl found a recording device reportedly belonging to the officer and allegedly containing secretly captured images from multiple retail store dressing rooms.

Police claim Lt. Col. Jacob Sweatland, 39, called the store in Pismo Beach, California, asking whether anyone had found what he called his “key fob.”

Police were investigating the matter after a preteen girl found the device — and local law enforcement reviewed the contents of the device, which included images from dressing rooms from multiple stores. more

Patent: Adding a Camera to the Apple Watch

Apple was granted a new patent for a detachable watch-based camera retention system...

This new strap-based system is hardly Apple's first attempt at patenting watch-based camera functionality. In 2019, the company was awarded US-10331083-B1 for a watch band with an integrated, flexible optical sensor. If made available, this rotatable camera would allowing photos to be taken without the need to remove the watch from the user's wrist...

While a high-quality embedded camera could have practical use for some, it does raise potential privacy and security concerns for others.

The ability to capture photos covertly by removing the need for a larger, handheld camera or phone opens the door to anything from secret, unauthorized, and compromising photos to increased risk of corporate espionage. 

The embedded cameras would require a new level of security and awareness to ensure they were not improperly used in areas such as schools, locker rooms, restrooms, or in areas where confidential documents and information are at risk of being captured. more