Wife May Use Husband's E-Mails in Divorce Case

In an upcoming divorce trial, a Brooklyn woman may introduce e-mails surreptitiously culled from her estranged husband's e-mail account as evidence of his scheme to hide his true income, a Supreme Court judge has ruled.

Justice Jeffrey S. Sunshine said the woman's accessing of her husband's account did not constitute "eavesdropping" under New York's Penal Law and therefore does not render the e-mails inadmissible.

The decision turned on the fact that the wife looked at e-mails stored in her husband's account, rather than intercepting e-mails while they were "in transit" to him. (more)

When it's in the soaps...

...you know anyone can afford, and will use, bugs.

Nick goes to the Ranch to speak to Victor and Adam opens the door. They tussle over a package that was on the stoop. Nick says he doesn't trust him - he tried to frame their father! Adam says the package is just braille computer programs. Adam stages a stumble to distract Nick, who leaves in a huff. Adam opens the box - it looks like bugging devices! He decides to test them out - he wires the house up and grins as he realizes that they work! (The Young and the Restless)

Button Hole Camera has Nice Ring to it

It takes covert photos.
It records video movies.
It captures sound, too!

And... you never need to tip your hand by touching any On / Off / Record switches. Just tip your hand wearing the golden ring and the camera magically does your spy bidding. Just make sure your shirt has black buttons. (more)

Why do I mention it?
So you will know what you're up against.

Eavesdropping on Wi-Fi Eavesdroppers

via Eric Geier, enterpriseitplanet.com...
When I discuss Wi-Fi security, I try to demonstrate what a Wi-Fi eavesdropper or hacker could see from an unencrypted wireless network. This way you can imagine what someone from the parking lot or nearby can see of the data traveling between you and the access point (AP)... In this article, we'll look at several different online and network services or communication types that are vulnerable to sniffing or capturing by eavesdroppers. Along the way, I'll give tips on how you could secure them, over and above encrypting the entire link. (more)

I agree with Eric and show my clients how easy it is to intercept unencrypted transmission, too. We use similar techniques. There is just something about actually seeing it which makes it very real. You'll never trust a public Wi-Fi hot spot again. ~Kevin

Another Watergate Burglar Dies

Bernard Leon Barker was a hero to many, first as a World War II flier and prisoner of war, later as a CIA operative working to overthrow Fidel Castro. But he is best remembered as a White House ''plumber:'' one of the burglars whose break-in helped topple a U.S. president.

He died Friday at the Veteran's Administration Medical Center in Miami at 92.

Barker -- nicknamed ''Macho'' as an infant -- was a protégé of the late E. Howard Hunt, the CIA mastermind who planned the Bay of Pigs and Watergate operations. (more)

via Wikipedia...
"After Barker's release from prison, he worked as a building inspector for the city of Miami, Florida, earning $18,512 per year. He elected early retirement in 1982 rather than fight proceedings seeking his dismissal for loafing on the job." (more)

Spy Pens Online

Would you believe... a blog about spy pens?
spypensonline.com is a brand new blog.
We'll keep an eye on it.

"Spy pen camera’s are the ideal tool for covert surveillance. But before buying one, here's a few things you must consider..." (more)

SpyCam Story #536 - Insight

In China, video cameras are being installed in almost 60,000 examination halls to prevent cheating in next week's national college entrance exams. In the past, some students have been caught using hi-tech equipment, including tiny radio receivers, to get help with exam questions.

In April, eight parents and teachers caught helping children cheat were sentenced to prison. China takes the cheating very seriously. (more)

Just when you thought they ran out of spies...

Lebanon's military prosecutor charged 10 more Lebanese with spying for Israel, bringing to 55 the total this year, a judicial source said. Four of those charged were already in custody, having been detained on suspicion of the crime, and the other six have yet to be arrested. (more)

It's not a book. It's not a movie. It's real.

Trial of CIA, Italian agents provides rare look at intelligence work... Testimony about the alleged 'rendition' of Egyptian Abu Omar features feuds and rogue conduct in a case that has apparently made and crushed careers. (more)

SpyCam Story #535 - SpyCam Saves Life

TX - When a 3-year-old patient kept having setbacks during her recovery, doctors at Dell Children's Medical Center suspected that the child's mother was to blame, Austin police said Wednesday.

They set up a hidden camera in the child's hospital room that police and court records said soon recorded Emily Beth McDonald smearing human waste on the girl's intravenous line, which can cause potentially life-threatening illnesses. (more)

UPDATE - An Austin woman has been accused of repeatedly smearing human waste on her 3-year-old daughter's intravenous feeding line, potentially causing life-threatening infections.

Emily Beth McDonald, 23, was charged with felony injury to a child.

According to an arrest affidavit, a surveillance video at Dell Children's Medical Center captured McDonald placing feces from a soiled diaper on the cap of a tube with a direct link to the child's bloodstream. (more)

Silvio's Wiretap Crusade Marches On

Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi does not rule out a vote of confidence on the wiretap bill. Speaking to SkyTg24 he stated that "It would be better not to have a vote of confidence, but if we run into the slightest opposition we will immediately call a vote of confidence". Berlusconi pointed out that wiretaps cost the State 400 million euro every year, and that "the right to privacy is fundamental". (more) (background)

Photographers – Next on The List
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has reacted angrily to the publication in Spain of photographs showing topless women and a naked man at his villa. He has threatened to sue Spain's El Pais newspaper, calling the photos an invasion of privacy. The photos - banned in Italy on privacy grounds - were taken from outside Mr Berlusconi's villa in Sardinia during a party for a Czech delegation. (more)

SpyCam Story #534 - Almost Identical to #531

NY - West Seneca Police have arrested a man they say used a camera to spy on his ex-girlfriends teenage daughter. Police say 38-year old Richard R. Vieira installed the camera inside the 19-year old's bedroom and videotaped her getting undressed. Police say Vieira had DVD copies of the video. Vieira's ex-girlfriend discovered the camera equipment but only after Vieira had already moved out of her home. (more)

Fuzzbusters Busted - Bug held photo of bugger

Korea - Two reporters from a local news agency were taken into custody on suspicion of attempting to eavesdrop on a meeting convened by the national police chief, investigators said yesterday.

According to police, the journalists installed a small recorder at a restaurant in Suwon, some 46 kilometers (29 miles) south of Seoul, where National Police Agency Commissioner Kang Hee-rak was hosting a dinner with senior police officers. (more)

UPDATE - The Gyeonggi Police Agency said the reporters from Asia News Agency installed an MP3 player with recording function on the ceiling of a restaurant in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where National Police Agency Commissioner Kang Hee-rak was hosting a banquet Thursday for nearly 40 senior police officers in the province.

The event was held after Kang's regular inspection of police stations there, police said.

Choi Won-il, who was at the banquet, said, "At around 8:20, a restaurant employee informed me that a couple of people with suspicious gadgets had dropped by the restaurant before the dinner began."

Choi and restaurant employees searched the venue and found a recorder attached to the ceiling.

Police found a picture of one of the reporters saved on the gadget. During questioning, the journalist confessed to having installed the recorder with two other colleagues. (more)

SpyCam Story #533 - Blinky the TV Spy

The California Supreme Court seemed unlikely Wednesday to authorize employers to spy on their workers with hidden cameras.

At the same time, some members of the state high court appeared skeptical that two women who discovered a surveillance camera in their office had suffered serious harm. The women said they suffered emotional distress when they discovered the camera by chance after noticing a blinking red light. (more)

Suit Suits the Black Suits - EFF & ACLU Dispute

A U.S. District Court on Wednesday dismissed lawsuits against telecommunications companies in a warrantless wiretap case, ruling that former President George W. Bush's administration had properly requested the cases closed for national security reasons.

Companies including AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications Inc faced dozens of suits accusing them of improper participation in a warrantless wiretap program launched by Bush after the September 11 attack...

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union, which are coordinating the cases, said they would appeal, arguing the amended act was unconstitutional. (more)