Jezebel: spying

I Spy: New Technology Is A Boon To Creepers

Sadie — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:20:00 EDT

As surveillance technology becomes more affordable and readily available, it's increasingly easy for the stalker-on-the-street to monitor your every movement with his own spy kit!

Says an article via ABC News,

An aspiring 007's dream, SpyAssociates.com markets everything from a "SpyHawk" real-time GPS tracking system and "StealthCam" alarm clock that hides a video camera, to a nearly $2,000 counter surveillance professional package...."Greed, lust and fear are the three high-growth industries and this covers all three," said owner Jeffrey Jurist, adding that his clients include law enforcement, individuals, private investigators and corporations. "Everybody's watching everybody. It's just a matter of whether you're aware of it."

While several people quoted in the article claim that taking such measures is merely to confirm what they already know, it's obviously a bridge too far, and invasive technology like this can help jealousy cross the line from suspicion to stalking. The article sites the example of one woman whose ex-husband had installed a GPS-enabled cell phone in her car that both revealed her location and recorded her conversation, as well as spyware that showed him her email and browsing history, as well as all her financial information and passwords. Her ex was jailed as a result, but this is just one example of an increasingly common scenario.

Obviously, if someone is really unhinged, they're going to stalk regardless. But if a person is not prone to stalking, can the ready availability of such technology really push him over the edge? Power corrupts, and these devices impart a lot of power. Regardless, it does seem like there should be regulation of the sales of these "spy devices," at least akin to the licensing required for gun possession. Good to see the "greed, lust and fear" industries haven't been affected by the recession, though!

When Lovers' Quarrels Go Hi-Tech [ABC News]

Ethel Rosenberg and her husband Julius were...

Megan — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:50:00 EDT

Ethel Rosenberg and her husband Julius were tried, convicted and, in 1953, executed for espionage. Historians have argued about it ever since. With the recent release of grand jury transcripts and a new admission from one of the other people convicted with them, the evidence used to convict Ethel seems to be, at best, tainted (though Julius looks as guilty as the government said he was). Ethel was convicted based on a late admission by her brother that she had transcribed his notes for him, an admission contradicted by her sister-in-law's grand jury testimony. Prosecutors admit that they hoped that by threatening to sentence Ethel to death, they had hoped to convince Julius to implicate other spies. But whatever information Julius might have had, he took to his grave and prosecutors never relented on Ethel's sentence. Sobell says now, "She knew what he was doing, but what was she guilty of? Of being Julius’s wife." [New York Times]

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me

Megan — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EDT

If you've never hung out with the IT professionals in your office, then this may come as news to you: They're pretty much all reading your shit. You probably even signed away your right to complain about in on your first day in the stack of papers they had you sign as part of the hiring process. I worked at a job where the HR director read every single e-mail sent to or from every single person in the office (and I was asked to resign when an acquaintance asked for my résumé to pass around); I worked at another where they randomly screencapped your screen just to check on you. Do yourself a favor: Always be nice to your tech people. They know where the bodies are buried and if you get them drunk, sometimes they'll tell you. [ABC News]