Pakistan frees CIA spy charged with murder

Raymond Davis, the CIA spy charged with murder in Pakistan, has been freed after the families of two dead men agreed to drop charges in exchange for financial compensation. (more)

How not to handle your surly survant problems in Maryland...

More bad neighbors.

MD - A 42-year-old city woman accused of recording private conversations of employees at a Salisbury apartment complex has been charged on a warrant for wiretapping.

Cassandra Denise Baytops was arrested in connection with an alleged January wiretapping incident, according to the Salisbury Police Department. An investigation revealed that the suspect made both video and audio recordings of conversations by the victims, then presented the data to another apartment complex employee, police said. Baytops was charged with four counts of wiretapping, then jailed at the Wicomico County Detention Center. Bond was not determined. (more)

Maryland state law requires that all parties to a recording consent to being recorded.

Dom, Le Espion... or, "The guard probably did it."

France - A security agent for Renault has been charged with fraud and accused of inventing industrial espionage claims that led the French carmaker to wrongly suspect — and suspend — three executives, the state prosecutor said Monday...

Preliminary charges of "organized fraud" were filed Sunday against Dominique Gevrey, once employed by the Defense Ministry intelligence service and now a member of Renault's security service, prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin told reporters Monday.

Gevrey had been detained Friday at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport as he prepared to board a flight for Guinea, and has since been jailed. (more)

FutureWatch - Let insurer spy on driving, get a discount

“Romper, bomper, stomper, boo.
Tell me, tell me, tell me do.
Magic Mirror, tell me today.
Did all my friends have fun today?”

More auto insurers are rolling out programs offering discounts to drivers who let the company electronically spy on their driving habits.

Progressive, one of the nation's largest auto insurers, today launches a nationwide ad campaign for its "Snapshot" program, in which drivers can elect to install a small data recorder in their cars that tracks how hard they brake, how far they drive and whether it's day or night driving. Based on the results, drivers can save up to 30 percent on their insurance. Average savings: $150 a year.

Progressive is one of a growing list of insurers with discounts for monitoring:
• Allstate. The Drive Wise program begun last year in Illinois will expand to other states.
• GMAC. Only total mileage is tracked - up to 54 percent off - drive fewer than 2,500 miles a year.
• State Farm. Mileage also is tallied via OnStar mileage for its "Drive Safe & Save" plan in California and Ohio. Texas will be added next month, Illinois later this year.

Although the programs are voluntary, they've raised the eyebrows of privacy advocates. One worry is that the insurers eventually will make the monitoring mandatory. (more)

Lyon May Put Teeth into CA Video Voyeurism Law

CA - Michael Lyon pled guilty today to what he called “criminal conduct which was selfish, impulsive and wrong.” In a deal with prosecutors, he admitted to four counts of felony electronic eavesdropping.

He was arrested last November for videotaping prostitutes in his home without their knowledge. As part of his plea deal, Lyon will have to spend a year in the custody of Sacramento County, but there is a good chance he will be placed in home detention, with an electronic monitoring device attached to his ankle. (more)

Lyon case spurs effort to tighten state's video voyeurism law
Lyons' ugly divorce battle takes a new twist

No, I'm not Mr. Rogers. I'm Mr. Rivard, your neighbor.

MI - The trial for a man who police said broke into his neighbor’s home 10 times over a four-month period continues. Paul Rivard, 36, is also accused of planting a baby monitor in the bedroom of his neighbor’s home to eavesdrop on them. Authorities said he also rearranged items in their home and torched their clothes... If Rivard is convicted, this incident will not be his first home invasion. State prison records show the 36-year-old was paroled in late 2008 after serving 10 years for second-degree home invasion. (more with video)

SpyCam Story #604 - 44 Regrets?!?!

UK - A peeping tom who hid a spy camera in a teddy bear and recorded a woman in a state of undress has walked free from court. Voyeur Paul Littlewood’s secret recordings only came to light after he sexually assaulted his victim by touching her breast over her T-shirt... Prosecutor Sue Jacobs said that was examined and found to contain 612 movie files of which 44 appeared to be taken by either a webcam or a spycam and showed a woman in various stages of undress.

The court heard that Littlewood told police that he had hidden a camera inside a teddy bear but “regretted it straight away” and subsequently destroyed the camera. (more)

From Android to spyDroid in just 299 Cents

A non-stealth mobile phone spy app...

Secret Spy will send you an email with your phone's location, a picture from the camera, call logs, text Messaging logs, and the visited web page history, on demand.

T-shirt extra.

Secret Spy checks your Gmail account every few minutes and waits for you to send yourself a blank email from that same account. When Secret Spy gets that email, it activates and wakes up the phone, takes a picture, and sends that picture along with the phone's logs to your Gmail email address...

Secret Spy does not try to hide itself on the phone. It DOES show up as an entry in your application list. It is only meant for legal uses such as wildlife photography, or for monitoring your house's security. (more) (T-shirt)

From iPhone to Video spyPhone in just 299 Cents

A revamped iPhone videography app from Mirage Labs is crammed so full of features that the developer is promoting it as "the Swiss Army knife of camcorders." Among those militaristic attributes: a "spy cam" setting that lets users make surreptitious recordings.

MultiCorder 2.0, formerly known as Flexicorder, debuted Wednesday in the iOS App Store. The new spy mode lets users select a picture from their photo library to display on screen while making the secret video; a finger swipe up or down the screen automatically ends the recording. (more)

Security Directors: FREE Security White Paper - "Surreptitious Workplace Recording ...and what you can do about it."   

The Giant Ants of Atlanta Meet The Big Bees of Melbourne

The recent post about Uncle Milton's ant farm colonies, complete with The Giant Ants of Atlanta, 

echoed around the world and brought us The Big Bees of Melbourne, from a reader with a sense of humor. 

Very cool! 

Thank you.

Security Director Alert: Tiny GPS Tracker with Real-Time Reporting

Keep track of top executives as they travel. Bonus: SOS button. 

TrackingTheWorld's newest portable real-time GPS tracking device is the WorldTracker Enduro Pro... offers improved GPS sensitivity, and up to 60 day battery life.

Throughout our (GPS Magazine) testing, Enduro Pro's performance was outstanding. The device provided reliable real-time tracking, even in challenging environments, and in areas of marginal cellular coverage.

The Bottom Line
• Exceptional accuracy and battery life
• Small enough to be carried by a child, powerful enough to be used by law enforcement
• Works in extreme weather conditions (-40° to 185°F), IPX-5 Water Resistant
• GeoFencing

• Speed reporting

• SOS / Panic button
• Priced under $200, plus monthly service

Once fully charged, the Enduro Pro can last up to 60 days on a single charge (that estimate is based on updates every 2 hours, and little motion. When set to update more frequently, such as every 2 minutes, battery life drops to a still-impressive 2 weeks on average). 

Location Reports

Reports are accessed via TrackingTheWorld.com. Maps can be viewed as Road view, Aerial view, or Hybrid (Road & Aerial). The map can be zoomed in or out, and panned by dragging the mouse around or using the pan/zoom control in the upper-left corner of the screen.

Tabs along the right side of the map screen allow you to view historical location data for previous days/months, as well as access driving reports, configure GeoFence alerts, and set how frequently Enduro Pro should send location updates (less frequent updates = longer battery life).

Click to enlarge.

The breadcrumbing feature allows you to see where the device has been throughout a given day, as well as the direction of travel and speed the device was traveling. (more)

Bump.com - License Plate Tag or Public Branding

Bump.com, an online start-up, is creating a way for people to ping each other using their license plates. The company’s founder, Mitch Thrower, compares the service to online coupon and location-sharing sites — with one exception. “It’s like a Groupon or Foursquare that you can’t turn off,” he says.

You can’t turn it off because the service will capture your license plate whether you like it or not. But to receive virtual fist-shaking, finger-pointing, or flirty messages from fellow motorists, or the “special offers” from merchants that Thrower hopes will pay his company for access to your in-box, you actually do have to sign up and identify yourself as the owner of your license plate.

The service works by using images of license plates snapped by other people using their cell phone cameras, or by license plate numbers people can send via telephone, a special email address, or a smartphone app. The company has already captured more than 250,000 license plates from a combination of messages sent by beta testers and publicly-available video feeds like cameras at toll booths, according to Thrower.

The site will officially launch at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, next week. (more)

Where Does the Government Go Shopping for Security?

Spy-Mart?

No.

GovSec - The government security conference and expo in Washington, DC., March 29-31.

"GovSec will help you identify and examine the security concerns of our nation's key assets and essential services. Learn about the critical strategies and solutions to best secure these resources, including new technologies, physical resources, and risk assessment!" 

In addition to the educational aspect of the conference, the real fun is the expo where you get to see all the latest technology!

"Thousands of cutting-edge systems, tools and technologies preventing future incidents, preparing for and responding to hazards and disasters, and ensuring public safety, showcased by top solution providers."

This is where American ingenuity really shines. Catch it if you can, especially if your company needs government-level security. (more)

Yet Another Celebrity Open Mike Faux Pas

(yawn) Charlie Sheen, again...

15 minutes before Tuesday's Sheen's Korner, the audio feed came on. It sounded like static at first -- but you can clearly hear Sheen rehearsing with his crew and Teleprompter. Near the end you'll also hear some last-minute editing as he decides how to skewer producer Chuck Lorre without sounding anti-Semitic. (more)

The point...

Always assume the mike is on. 

One of the worst cases I witnessed was a corporate executive waiting to take the stage. He was wearing a wireless microphone and headed to the bathroom where he met another executive. Neither realized the mike was transmitting to the control booth; it was just not being pumped to the auditorium speakers yet. Some important guests in the control booth area heard every word. The conversation (not to mention the bodily noises) led to a very embarrassing public apology made during the man's speech.

(Updates) SpyCam Man and the Expensive Teddy Bear

Two neighboring states.

Two children involved.

Two types of justice.

Fair and equal?

You decide...

KS - A Saline County man was sentenced to probation Tuesday, after admitting he used hidden cameras to secretly videotape family members. The sentence was on charges of sexual exploitation of a child and eavesdropping... The man lived at the home with his wife, stepdaughter and step-granddaughter, said his attorney. (more)

Probation?!?!

NE - Digital recording tools are so cheap and simple to use that it's easy to deploy them without thinking through the consequences. A Nebraska mother and grandfather found this out the hard way last month when they were hit with a combined $120,000 penalty for wiretapping after sticking an audio recorder inside a young girl's favorite teddy bear.

Though the mother claimed only to be concerned with her child's welfare, the judge found that the indiscriminate use of the recording device had violated the privacy of numerous people, each of whom were entitled to $10,000. (more)

China to Track 17 Million Cellphone Users

China said it may begin tracking cellphone users in Beijing through location technology it hopes will help city authorities better manage traffic. But the announcement also sparked fresh concerns that the government may be using mobile technology to surveil its residents.

In an announcement, made through Beijing's Municipal People's Government Web site, the Chinese government said it would track 17 million cellphone users in Beijing through location technology to "publish real-time dynamic information to ease congestion and improve the efficiency of public travel."

Beijing is notorious for its traffic congestion. Last August, a 60-mile jam into the capital city lasted nine days. (more)

P.S. You can see a similar use of tracking technology; it's used on Google Maps (click on the traffic view). (How it works.)

Meanwhile, outside the Tap Cave...

Turkey - A plan to install flood-prevention sensors in southeastern Turkey has prompted a panic among local residents, who became convinced that the devices in street lamps and on roofs would actually wiretap the entire city.

Speculation about the devices began to circulate in Batman province... Amid rising paranoia in Turkey, the gossip mill in Batman quickly turned the story into a more sinister one. The rumor that the city’s street lamps and roofs were full of wiretapping gadgets listening in on all of its residents’ conversations was picked up by TV stations and online news sites, creating a furor. (more)

In past news...
The mayor of an oil-producing city in southeastern Turkey, which has the same name as the Caped Crusader, is suing helmer Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. for royalties from mega-grosser "The Dark Knight."

Huseyin Kalkan, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party mayor of Batman, has accused "The Dark Knight" producers of using the city's name without permission.

"There is only one Batman in the world," Kalkan said. "The American producers used the name of our city without informing us." (more)

Old West Security Sensibility - "Drop it, pard'ner."

Wells Fargo's IT group has a simple answer for employees who want to hook personal devices up to corporate systems: No.

"They can't connect them to our networks," says Wayne Mekjian, executive vice president and CIO of information services at Wells Fargo. "We won't let them in."

The "just say no" policy applies to Apple iPads, Android tablets and smartphones owned by employees. The company also has strict policies regarding use of Twitter and Facebook, making the sites off-limits to many. Wells Fargo does, however, supply employees with corporate-approved smartphones, and a limited deployment of iPads that can connect to e-mail and other corporate systems. (more)

Le Oops - Renault plans to exonerate managers fired for alleged corporate espionage

Carlos Ghosn

France - Renault SA is making plans to exonerate the three managers fired for alleged corporate espionage, people familiar with the matter said, in what would be a major stand-down that could presage a change in the French auto maker’s senior management.

As Renault faces up to what is likely to be an embarrassing conclusion to its highly touted "affaire d’espionnage," one scenario being discussed by the firm’s board is for Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pélata to tender his resignation, the people familiar with the matter said. It is unclear whether Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn would accept the resignation, however, these people added. (more)

(Update) SpyCam Story #603 - All Things Not Considered

Vivian Schiller, the embattled chief executive of NPR, resigned from the organization Wednesday, one day after an embarrassing video surfaced of another NPR executive disparaging conservatives.  

The sudden announcement came after officials from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and members of NPR's board conferred last night about the fallout from the revelation on Tuesday of a surreptitiously recorded video of NPR Foundation president Ron Schiller (no relation to Vivian Schiller). The video, made by conservative activist James O'Keefe, shows Ron Schiller calling Republicans and members of the tea party movement "xenophobic" and "racist" and saying that NPR would prefer to do without subsidies provided by the federal government. (more) (video)


Point: Be careful, you can never tell when you'll be recorded.

Counterpoint: In less than 24-hours, the spy shop spammers on capitalizing on news.
"Welcome to our newsletter!
Our hidden Cameras are used all over the place.
Read the entire article here:
NPR CEO RESIGNS.
 
To make your own covert recording, buy our hidden video cameras from one of our Delaers here. To become a Dealer just visit www.minigadgets.com and fill in our Dealer profile page."

Security Director Alert: GPS Jammers - The Next Big Threat?

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Security Directors: Give some thought to how GPS is used in your company. Create a plan for when it dies. ~Kevin

Important...

Signals from GPS satellites now help you to call your mother, power your home, and even land your plane – but a cheap plastic box can jam it all... (more) (How GPS works.)

GPS jammers...

One manufacturer claims production of 50,000 units per year. Cheap. (ebay)

FutureWatch...

Although the GPS disruption threat is not new, we are reaching critical mass - product-wise and incentive-wise. The next terrorist, activist, protester, prankster threat - salt an area (like an airport) with hundreds of these. It will take a while to find them all. Have a security plan ready. Idea: Install a GPS frequency monitor alarm in mission critical areas. (advice from Los Alamos National Laboratory) (more)

The Ray Gun is Back...

...and you're going to need more than a tin foil hat this time.

The ray gun has become more than a boyhood fantasy. The Army is quietly working to develop technology with the potential to arm tomorrow's armored combat vehicles with the capability to destroy electronic systems with high-intensity bursts of RF energy. (video)

FutureWatch - Be sure to watch the video. This development is way more important than it first appears. ~Kevin

Like Watching a Train Wreck

Australia - Queensland Rail has released dramatic CCTV footage of people narrowly escaping oncoming trains as part of a new safety campaign. (video)

Bad ass public safety or Jackass via public CCTV? My Australian colleague thinks it might inspire both. He might be right. Let's see what happens if the concept comes to America. 

Wait... 

Remember Signal-30!?!?

U.S. Supreme Court - "No" to Corporate Personal Privacy

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the concept of corporate personal privacy in its decision today in FCC v. AT&T, Inc. AT&T sued to keep records withheld from disclosure under Exemption 7(c) of the Freedom of Information Act, which protects against the unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. AT&T claimed personal privacy protections extend to corporations. In a unanimous decision, the court held that Exemption 7(c) applied to individuals only. (more)

China Helps Build Intelligence Complex for Mugabe

Zimbabwe - Construction of the government’s secret electronic eavesdropping complex just outside Harare is moving at a ‘very fast pace’ SW Radio Africa learned on Thursday.

It’s believed the complex will, amongst many other things, be used to monitor internet use and telephone calls in Zimbabwe. The ‘snooping’ project, according to a source, is to become the government agency that monitors communications around the whole country. (more)

Considering these folks don't even have their own currency anymore, who's paying for this? Why?

Play "Connect the Dots"
Zimbabwe natural resources: Deposits of more than 40 minerals including diamonds, ferrochrome, gold, silver, platinum, copper, asbestos, nickel, graphite, coal, lithium, palladium, vermiculite; 19 million hectares of forest (more) (sing-a-long)

"It all happened after the new Donutland opened."

A random inspection of the electronic surveillance system of the Mumbai police on Wednesday, found that the Global Positioning System (GPS) in as many as 30 vehicles were malfunctioning, or not functioning at all. The faux pas came to the notice of the newly appointed police commissioner Arup Patnaik, who was inspecting the police control room to oversee the working condition as well functioning of the men and the machines deployed therein.

“I was told technical faults in the equipment led to malfunctioning of the GPS system,” Patnaik said. (more)

In other news...

CT - Police in Cheshire said a car crashed into the front of a Dunkin' Donuts on West Main Street on Thursday afternoon. There was no word if anyone was injured in the crash. No other information was available. (more)  Imagine that!

Judith Coplon - Dead at 89

Judith Coplon, a former Justice Department employee who became a sensation in 1949 when she was accused of being a Soviet spy, has died. She was 89.

Coplon, who in later years went by her married name, Judith Socolov, died Saturday in a New York City hospital, said her daughter, Emily Socolov.

As a 28-year-old Justice Department employee, Coplon was caught with secret U.S. documents at a meeting with a Russian agent on a Manhattan street. She claimed she was meeting him only because she loved him, but she was found guilty at two trials.

The convictions were overturned, and the cases were eventually dropped. (more)

"What will Anna Chapman do next?"

Russian spy Anna Chapman is in from the cold and out on the Internet with an official website featuring photos, news and an upbeat message urging Russians to smile and be self-reliant.

The site www.annachapman.ru is the latest venture from Chapman, who has made a media splash since her deportation from the United States in a Cold War-style spy swap last July. (more)

She would have loved Ed Wood.

The Pink Panther Drives Again

France - A top Renault SA official said the French auto maker is no longer certain that its electric-car development efforts were the target of corporate espionage, throwing doubts on a high-profile case that cost three executives their jobs and led the Chinese Foreign Ministry to issue an angry denial of any involvement.

Patrick Pélata, the auto maker's chief operating officer, made the admission in comments that were published Thursday evening on a French newspaper's website. He said the auto maker could have been "tricked" into bringing allegations against three senior managers. His comments added to the mystery of a case that was never fully fleshed out. (more)

The easiest way out? Just... A Shot in the Dark.

Beware the Long Arm of Social Notworking

Tip - Police and prosecutors are quickly learning that online postings can offer useful clues to a suspect's location, motives and acquaintances. (more)

Fark - On-line framing.

Cell Phone + Satellite Phone = TerreStar Genus

Click to enlarge.

Security Directors -  Please be aware that on the AT&T press release the coverage area is left to your imagination.

"it’s now easier and more convenient than ever before to have mobile coverage in remote locations"

"The access to the TerreStar™ satellite network enables wireless communications coverage in remote areas for government, energy, utility, transportation and maritime users, as well as backup satellite communications capabilities for public safety agencies, first responders and disaster recovery groups."

(My imagination... Satellite=Worldwide, Wrongo.)

According to TerreStar...
"Provides coverage for the Continental United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii and Alaska" Their graphic is accurate. But you have to visit TerreStar to find it out.

A U.S. satellite phone is here — they send a signal directly to a satellite from anywhere with a clear view of the sky without need of a cell tower. But with per-minute fees of $1 or more (sometimes a lot more), you’ll still need a regular mobile phone for everyday use. That means you need two phones. Just what you want when hiking — two weighty pieces of hardware to tote.

But now there is a hybrid mobile-satellite phone, a single device that can connect to either network. Called the TerreStar Genus, this phone is available through AT&T for $1,070 ($800 for small business and government customers).
 
The phone isn’t a brick-sized ruggedized monster, but it’s not exactly svelte either. At 4.7 by 2.5 by 0.8 inches and almost 5 ounces, it’s stolid form and qwerty keyboard will remind you of an overweight BlackBerry. (more)

Business Security Information - Security Tips for Business

Sean McCreary, is a security consultant and researcher. He runs Business Security Information and his blog provides small and medium-sized businesses with relevant security information and resources. "We do the research so you don't have to!" Very cool!

His background includes:

• Approximately 20 years security experience including positions in the government and both the public and private sector.
• Close to 12 years experience dealing with small and medium-sized business security issues.
• Experience and background in both physical and computer security.
• Certified Protection Professional (CPP) through ASIS International.
• Associate in Risk Management (ARM) through Insurance Institute of America.
• Degrees in security, loss prevention, and information system security.

The information on the site is gathered from websites and other public sources of security information. Being a continuous learner, Sean set up the blog to share some of that knowledge with you. 

If you can't afford a full-time security director, or a part-time security consultant, you need to carve out a few minutes each week to visit Sean. (more)

5 Ways to Tell if the Person on the Phone is Lying

via landlinephoneservice.net...

1. Listen for the patterns in their speech. 
   Is their speech erratic sounding? Do they repeat what they’ve already said to cover up something else?  Do they pause for a second or two before answering you? Many liars if confronted with a potential lie they told or if they are about to lie, need a second to gather together their facts.
2. Do they often try to change the subject?
   Feeling backed in a corner, they may even end the call. Many times a liar will do anything to avoid the topic or change topics manically if you keep bringing the conversation back to the topic they want to avoid.
3. Liars often get defensive.
   Getting defensive is a common tactic for liars. By getting angry or emotional, it helps the accused liar diffuse the topic and an effective way to get them “off the hook.” When talking to someone you think may be lying, make sure to stay at ease and calmly keep the conversation going.
4. A liar will often create confusion in their comments.
   Do they repeat information several times? Do they go back and forth with their answers, giving inconsistent comments to the questions you asked?
5. Do they find a way to abruptly get off the phone?
   If they don’t redirect the conversation to another topic, a liar will classically tell you they have to go, or find any other excuse to leave. Try to keep them on the phone by offering conversation of another topic and before hanging up, you can readdress your question. See if you get a consistent answer from the last time they answered it.
   (more)

Tips for a Malware-Free Smartphone (Android)

via PCworld.com...

The number of free Android apps that may be infected with malware this week has increased to more than 50.

• Research the publisher of the app. 

• Read online reviews.
• Check app permissions. If it asks for more than what it needs, skip it.

• Avoid directly installing Android Package files (APKs). 

• Put a malware and antivirus scanner on your phone. (Many of them are free.)

(more)

Kevin's Security Scrapbook - The Fine Print

Kevin's Security Scrapbook is a component of Spybusters, LLC, written and edited by Kevin D. Murray. This blog does not accept any form of advertising, sponsorship, or paid insertions. Mr. Murray writes for his own purposes and may be influenced by his background, occupation and experience. 

The blog contains excerpts from other sources, the original of which is clearly linked by the word (more) at the end of each entry. Personal comments and opinions are usually indicated in red type for clarity.

The owner of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. We will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement, however, this may not be relied upon as paid professional advice. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

Business Espionage: The Devine Apple Caper

Former Apple Employee Pleads Guilty to Selling Company Secrets 

Last August a man by the name of Paul Devine, 37 years old, was arrested following an FBI and IRS investigation. Apparently Mr. Devine was taking information on "product forecasts, roadmaps, pricing targets, product specifications, and data obtained from Apple's business partners" and passing it along to Apple's suppliers.

Why would suppliers want this info? Well typically they compete for Apple contracts and this info could give them an edge in the process. It could also afford them an advantage in negotiations on price/etc. once they had won the contract. Additionally, the information could be passed along to rival firms as some suppliers, like China's Foxconn, work with many companies.

The sell-out netted Mr. Devine over $10,000 in cash transferred from banks in the U.S. and overseas. And it cost Apple, by the company's estimates, over $2.4M USD. (more)

 

Imagine what Apple would lose if they didn't have a corporate counterespionage strategy? Got a strategy? Get one here.

India’s government has reiterated to BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion, and other companies providing encryption in their products, that they will have to be open to internal security and intelligence services if they wish to continue operating in the region.

Under this premise, Google and Skype could also be forced to shut down in the country if it cannot provide keys to its services...

To explain the difficulty of allowing a government to access Skype’s communications, one of the worlds leading intelligence organizations, the US National Security Agency, is still offering ‘billions’ for a solution to their eavesdropping needs on the peer-to-peer voice network. (more)

FutureWatch "...corporate parent eBay, having had to write down $1.4bn already following its $2.6bn purchase of Skype back in the bubble-2.0 days of 2005, might see an opportunity here. A billion or two from the NSA for a backdoor into Skype might make the acquisition seem like a sensible idea." (more)

Business Espionage: Ex-NYPD Detective SciSpy?

John Cook, writing for The New York Observer, has a very interesting piece today that alleges John Connolly – a former NYPD detective turned journalist, who has written for Vanity Fair, Gawker, and The Daily Beast – is a paid informant for the Church of Scientology.

The claims come from two previously high ranking members (they both defected) of the church: Marty Rathbun and Mike Rinder. Supposedly Connolly has been using his reporter credentials to pump other media members for information on anything they were going to write regarding Scientology. (more)

"No one likes a tattletale, Danny... except of course, me."

"Caddyshack" producer Rusty Lemorande claims an A&E documentary about the making of the movie was a "heartless fiction" that portrayed him as a "drug snitch" against the cast and crew, "a 'spy' on the set who secretly informed on everyone to the person who helped him get the job." Lemorande sued Pangolin Pictures and A&E Television Networks, which broadcast the documentary "Caddyshack: the Inside Story" on its "Biography" channel. Pangolin produced the show. (more)

Earbud SpyCam - For the Proletariat Press in Emerging Democracies?

from the seller's website...

"Nothing like this has ever been offered before!

The smallest earphone camera in the world!

In one of the earphones is a hidden video camera can use to capture and record video. You will fit right into the crowd and no one will have any ides what you are actually doing." (more)