The Strange Case of Alexander Litvinenko...The former Russian spy (a lieutenant-colonel, no less) poisoned in a London hotel was an MI6 agent, the Daily Mail can reveal. Alexander Litvinenko was receiving a retainer of around £2,000 a month from the British security services at the time he was murdered.
The disclosure, by diplomatic and intelligence sources, is the latest twist in the Litvinenko affair, which has plunged relations between London and Moscow to their lowest point since the Cold War. (more)
The wife is the last to know...
“My husband was never an agent for MI6. He was a critic of the Russian government but he spoke out openly. He was well-known. And his special area was organized crime, not intelligence. He was not the kind of person who would be useful to the British security services,” ~Marina Litvinenko (more)
Meanwhile, back in Hollywood...
Michael Mann, director of dramatic thrillers like "Heat" and "Collateral," is set to bring the story of poisoned ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko to the big screen.According to the Litvinenko Justice Foundation, Mann will direct a film based on the book "Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB".
It was co-written by the former Russian spy's widow Marina and his friend Alex Goldfarb. (more)
James Bond has kept Britain safe from the world's villains for years. But now the spy has a new role — helping deliver the nation's letters.
Each of the stamps show different editions of six Bond books Royal Mail unveiled a set of stamps yesterday that feature the covers of Ian Fleming's Bond novels. They will go on sale from Jan 8 to mark the 100th anniversary of the author's birth in 1908.
Fleming wrote 14 Bond novels, which have sold more 100 million across the world.
The six that will be depicted on the stamps, which will feature different editions of the same book, are Casino Royale, Dr No, Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, For Your Eyes Only and From Russia With Love. (more)
Wes Britton's SpyWise.net website
Find answers to questions like...
- How much reality Is in spy movies and novels?
- What are the behind-the-scenes stories of films of the past and what's coming in the future?
- What are insiders saying about spy projects in and beyond the world of 007?Discover...
- Unique perspectives into every aspect of the real and fantastic.
- Exclusive interviews with authors and creators of docu-dramas and spy comedies.
- Rare artifacts from the 1950s along with memories of former intelligence agents.
- Resources you can't find anywhere else.
- Articles on everything from Old-Time Radio to weekly updates on the hottest news on collectibles and what's coming on DVD.
Secret Agent Television Shows, 1951-2007
OR - The freedom of the media to publish government secrets is the subject of a free talk Wednesday at Willamette University.Philip Taubman, associate editor and special correspondent for The New York Times, will discuss "Why We Publish Secrets" at 8 p.m. in Smith Auditorium at Willamette, 900 State St.He will talk about the decision to publish the National Security Agency eavesdropping story, White House pressure on the paper not to publish, and the ongoing constitutional and legal issues concerning that decision.Taubman became associate editor for The Times in March, covering national security. He had been the paper's Washington bureau chief since August 2003. (more)
If you go...
What: Philip Taubman lecture
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Smith Auditorium, Willamette University, 900 State St., Salem, OR
Free Call: (503) 370-6058
South Africa - The Msunduzi Municipality is considering tapping the telephone lines of its employees to restrict runaway bills which cost more than R500 000 ($76,745.00) a month. ...SA Human Rights Commission Chairperson Jody Kollapen said that while he opposed the abuse of public money, the move to tap telephone lines would be objectionable as it construed an invasion of privacy. (more) (Joe Jones song)
Canada - The Law Society of Upper Canada is taking the RCMP to court in a bid to get its hands on wiretaps...
Mr. Peter Shoniker, a Toronto investment banker and one-time Crown prosecutor, was caught on police wiretaps in late 2003 boasting that there wasn't a "f---ing judge'' who would authorize a wiretap on his conversations."I'm untouchable, untouchable, untouchable by police," he said during one phone call. "Not a cop in this country would dare burn me, question my integrity." (more... much more)
"Laugha while you can, monkeyboy!" ~ Dr. Emilio Lizardo
NY - A former Legal Aid Society lawyer pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally using a hidden videocamera to spy on female co-workers as they changed clothes in their offices. Peter Barta, 32, of Queens, used a camera hidden in a clock to videotape five co-workers in the public defense agency's Manhattan offices, recording at least one woman with her breasts and buttocks bared. The women told police they regularly changed clothes in their offices before and after work. (more)
Scotland - A Council employee who was sacked after using her work computer to spy on her landlord husband's tenants has claimed she was unfairly dismissed. (more)
Sipera Systems, a VoIP security solutions company, said users of VoIP services and equipment from Vonage, Globe7 and Grandstream were vulnerable to eavesdropping, spam, spoofing, and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks....the Globe7 VoIP Client does not use a secure connection, making it possible for an attacker to eavesdrop on calls, according to Sipera. (more) (threat advisory list)
Australia - Police and other investigative bodies will be able to bug or track people for up to five days without needing a warrant, under legislation the State Government describes as "the biggest ever shake-up of surveillance laws in NSW law enforcement history".Under the Surveillance Devices Bill police will also be given warrants to use the listening and tracking devices and hidden cameras for 90 days, instead of 21, to "cut red tape", the Premier, Morris Iemma, said in Parliament yesterday. (more)
CA - Since In-Q-Tel was founded in 1999, the firm has reviewed more than 6,300 business plans for everything from identity recognition software to nano-sized electronic circuits. Many proposals come in via its Web site.
In-Q-Tel has put about $200 million into more than 100 companies, beating traditional VC investors to technologies such as the mapping software that's become Google Earth.
...In-Q-Tel is the Arlington, Virginia-based VC business of the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. spying organization. (more)
Taiwan - The investigation authorities have resorted to wiretapping in 24,700 cases in the first nine months of this year, Minister of Justice Shih Mao-lin said Wednesday. (more)
Forget OS X 10.5...
The Spy Museum 2007 Holiday Catalog gets 'outted' today!
That's right, folks. Their cover is blown and everyone is after this document! Over 200 of the world's most wanted spy gadgets, clothing, toys, games, books and music ("there's a man who leads a life of danger...") (more)
This just in... "I'm not going away."
Google Earth allows users to see detailed satellite images of almost anywhere on the planet, including some of the world's most high security locations. ITV's Damon Green explains why it has now been dubbed "the poor man's spy in the sky". (video)
Our clients have already been warned about the Google Earth vulnerability.
FutureWatch trends for companies vulnerable to aerial espionage or attack...
- Camouflage Retrofits (Lockheed Burbank aircraft plant 1941)
- Architectural 'Deceptiondesign' (underground parking, piping, roads, etc.)
- Decentralization
- Sight and Sound Abatement (clues to what is going on inside)
- Increased attention to counterespionage and eavesdropping detection.
Free College Lecture (.mp4 video)
The history of wiretapping from 1920-1970
Fundamental knowledge every (USA-based) professional TSCM'er should know.
"On September 17, 1787, the final draft of the Constitution was signed in Philadelphia. Georgia Tech commemorated this historic event with a week of presentations and discussions concerning one of our country's most important founding documents." This is the wiretapping seminar.
Presented by: Robert Pikowsky, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Public Policy, September 18, 2007 (video)
