Surveillance & Counter Surveillance

Burglars Really Do Use Bluetooth Scanners To Find Laptops And Phones
Bluetooth scanners are readily available and easy to use—which means that smash-and-grab car break-in might not have been pure chance. Burglars Really Do Use Bluetooth Scanners To Find Laptops And Phones At the beginning of October, a 31-year-old construction estimator named Samantha parked her Honda Fit on the street in…

Is Hudson The Red-tailed Hawk Spying On The CIA?
Raptor shows up just as intelligence officers are finishing reports. Is Hudson The Red-tailed Hawk Spying On The CIA? LANGLEY, Va.—The President’s Daily Brief is among the U.S. government’s most closely held intelligence reports, its highly classified contents intended only for President Trump and a handful of his top national…

Ultimate Resource On Private Blockchain Brave Browser
Privacy-oriented blockchain web browser Brave has seen its monthly active users (MAU) almost double from 5.5 million in 2018 to 10.4 million in 2019. At the same time, Brave’s daily active users (DAU) have tripled over the past year to reach 3.3 million, the firm announced Dec. 5. Private Blockchain…

‘World First’ Cell Phone Detection Cameras
The Australian state of New South Wales rolled out “high definition detection cameras” on Sunday, designed to catch drivers using cell phones behind the wheel. ‘World First’ Cell Phone Detection Cameras Andrew Constance, New South Wales’ Minister for Roads said the “world-first” technology would target illegal cell phone use through…

Patriot Act Renewal Sneaks Through Congress With BOTH Democratic And Republic Support
The Patriot Act originally included authorization of indefinite detentions of immigrants, permission for law enforcement agencies to search a home or business without the occupant’s or owner’s consent, and permission for the FBI and NSA to search telephone, email, and financial records without a court order. Since its passage, many…

U.S. Charges Former Twitter Employees With Spying For Saudi Arabia
Justice Department says the two former employees accessed information about people who made posts critical of the Saudi royal family. Federal prosecutors charged two former Twitter Inc. employees and a Saudi Arabian national with spying on some users of the social-media platform who were critical of Riyadh and providing that…

Insurance Tycoon Spied On Women Who Caught His Eye (#GotBitcoin?)
Dozens of surveillance operatives working for Greg Lindberg tailed actual and prospective romantic partners, assembling dossiers along the way. Insurance Tycoon Spied On Women Who Caught His Eye (#GotBitcoin?) Federal investigators were closing in on Greg Lindberg. FBI agents confronted the North Carolina insurance tycoon last year as they probed…

The Fun of Having Our Gadgets Spy On Us (#GotBitcoin?)
Never Mind The Privacy Issues—Think Of The Possible Benefits! The Fun of Having Our Gadgets Spy On Us (#GotBitcoin?) Last week, Apple disabled the Walkie-Talkie app on its line of watches after discovering a security flaw that could allow a person to eavesdrop on another person’s iPhone conversation. Almost simultaneously,…

What Your Voice Reveals About You (#GotBitcoin?)
Banks, doctors and investigators are analyzing the human voice for help in tracking down criminals, diagnosing diseases. What Your Voice Reveals About You (#GotBitcoin?) The sound of your voice is becoming a new type of fingerprint. Increasingly sophisticated technology that detects nuances in sound inaudible to humans is capturing clues…

Suspect Chinese Surveillance Gear Offered For Sale To U.S. Government (#GotBitcoin?)
An online store run by the U.S. government offers equipment for sale that has sparked security concerns despite rules banning purchases. Suspect Chinese Surveillance Gear Offered For Sale To U.S. Government (#GotBitcoin?) Thousands of pieces of Chinese video surveillance equipment that have provoked national security concerns have been listed for…

When Battlefield Surveillance Comes To Your Town (#GotBitcoin?)
All-seeing 24/7 video surveillance technology, first developed for use in war, is now affordable enough to be used domestically to fight crime and terrorism. Some lawmakers are wary. When Battlefield Surveillance Comes To Your Town (#GotBitcoin?) Over a period of three months in 2016, a small aircraft circled above the…

iPhone Privacy Is Broke And Apps Are To Blame (#GotBitcoin?)
Don’t be too confident in those privacy controls. Our test of 80 apps in Apple’s App Store reveals most apps are tracking you in ways you cannot avoid. iPhone Privacy Is Broke And Apps Are To Blame (#GotBitcoin?) Uhhh, Curious George? You Got A Little Too Curious This Time There’s…