More stupid people, doing very stupid things. Perpetrator recorded himself installing illegal cameras.

Davenport perp caught on his own video.

Students may not be the only victims of restroom cameras in Davenport IA school

An affidavit filed in federal court April 14, 2014, offered new details into why investigators think Ian Dishon Isabel is responsible for placing those cameras, and possibly others, in restrooms at the school.

Isabel, 29, was charged after recording devices were found “covertly placed” in two stalls at Hayes Elementary School on Concord Street Wednesday, April 2, 2014.  Isabel was in charge of the Stepping Stones after-school program at Hayes Elementary.

The affidavit said a custodian found a small gray junction box hanging on a wall opposite a toilet in a girls’ restroom at the school on April 2.  The […]

It’s worth paying attention to even the small incidents of attempted spying. Eavesdropping equipment is cheap and easily obtained. News reports are of the few who get caught, but there are many more that go undetected.  Contact us if you have concerns for your place of business. 

Tampa, FL:

Ex-employee’s lawsuit claims Tampa company didn’t act on covert videos

Days after the chief financial officer of a Tampa maintenance company was accused of recording videos of female employees using the bathroom and showering, the former information technology employee who exposed the chief  financial officer’s alleged actions has sued the company and his ex-boss.

On March 28, Jeremy Lenkowski, the former information technology director for MaintenX , filed a lawsuit accusing the company’s president and vice president, among others, of failing to act after Lenkowski showed them videos he’d discovered on CFO […]

Audio recordings are an easy thing to accomplish, almost everyone’s phone today has recording capability. It’s very important to understand your state’s eavesdropping laws if you ever consider recording phone calls or recording any conversation for that matter, even if the conversation takes place in public.  It also is important to understand these laws when drafting corporate rules and regulations regarding audio recording in the workplace.

For a recording to be legal, most states require the approval by just one party of the conversation, this is often easily fulfilled since the person doing the recording is usually part of the conversation.  There are a number of states, though, that require all parties to give their consent. Recording of phone calls on a company wide basis, though, requires consulting a qualified attorney since incoming calls may be coming from states with different laws than your state.  Illinois was one state […]

Detroit News, March 11, 2014

Washington— The Department of Homeland Security plans to award a contract for the design of the next-generation presidential limousine by late August, to be ready by the time the next president takes office in 2017.

According to a contract proposal posted last week by the U.S. Secret Service on the government’s contracting site, the administration plans to award the contract by Aug. 29, “based on best value to the government.”

The project is in four phases, the Secret Service said. “Phase 1, armor development, is currently underway. Phase 2 work will include integration of the armor design developed during Phase 1 of the program. Phase 2 requirements will include selection and integration of final automotive components, chassis, interior, exterior, and test vehicle fabrication and automotive component testing. Phase 3 will be focused on automotive validation and Phase 4 production of vehicles,” said the proposal, […]

Here is an example of what could happen if covert audio or video eavesdropping took place in any corporate meeting.  Our concern is not as much about what was said as it is about the backlash from having any type of embarrassing situation displayed publicly, whether on YouTube or any other media.

Hidden camera footage of what appeared to be Supreme Court proceedings from earlier this week surfaced on Thursday, offering one the of the first public recordings of the High Court’s proceedings.

A video posted on YouTube and recorded by 99 Rise, a group that supports tougher campaign finance laws, shows proceedings leading up to and during a rare protest that took place in the court Wednesday.

[Jump forward to 1:05 for the action scene.]

Noah Kai Newkirk, a leader of the group, is seen in the video standing up and calling on the court to […]

It should be accepted practice in all businesses. The level and frequency needed for corporate countermeasures sweeps relates to the value of information being discussed. But it is not just measured as a dollar value of a few pieces of data- the loss of confidential information can also affect stock prices, product announcements, market positioning, law suits, shareholder relations, executive protection, and many other areas.

Feb 21, 2014; The Irish Times

The Department of Finance and the National Treasury Management Agency carry out regular sweeps to ensure they are not subject to any bugging or surveillance. Minister for Finance Michael Noonan confirmed the steps were taken due to the commercial sensitivity of issues being discussed within the department. However, other departments declined to reveal if they undertake similar counter-surveillance measures.

In response to parliamentary questions from Fine Gael TDs Brendan Griffin and Noel Harrington, Mr Noonan said he was “aware of the importance of maintaining security given the commercially sensitive meetings held in the […]

Melbourne, AU, Herald Sun News

Peter John Gale planted tracking devices, and a listening device, on his wife Kaye’s car three days before she walked out of their 21-year marriage in September 2012.  Weeks later he also fixed a similar tracking device to the car of Darren Edgell, Ms Gale’s new partner.

But that was just the beginning of his obsession as he struggled to cope with the breakdown of his marriage. In the weeks after his wife left and moved to regional Victoria, Gale sent her dozens of text messages, changed a password to one of her email accounts and accessed her mobile phone records – forcing her to change her number twice.

He started appearing wherever she was, and at the height of his […]

Attempting to demonstrate that hotel vandalism has occurred, Dmitry Kozak revealed a bit too much “We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day,” 

From the Wall Street Journal

SOCHI, Russia—Rooms without doorknobs, locks or heat, dysfunctional toilets, surprise early-morning fire alarms and a Welcome Wagon of stray dogs: These are the initial images of the 2014 Winter Olympics that foreign journalists have blasted around the world from their officially assigned hotels—and the wave of criticism has rankled Russian officials.

Dmitry Kozak, the deputy prime minister responsible for the Olympic preparations, seemed to reflect the view held among many Russian officials that some Western visitors are deliberately trying to sabotage Sochi’s big debut out of bias against Russia. “We have […]