Showing posts with label mores. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mores. Show all posts

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Pew Comments on Relationship Health - It Stinks

Most Americans think snooping on a partner’s phone is a bad thing to do, but that hasn’t stopped more than a third of people in committed relationships from doing it anyway, according to Pew research published Friday.

Of those surveyed, 34 percent of people in committed relationships admitted to snooping on their partner’s phone without their knowledge. Interestingly, the survey also found that 42 percent of women (who are in relationships) say they’ve snooped through their current partners’ phones without them knowing, while just 25 percent of men say they have.

As many of us find ourselves cooped up with our partners and our phones for the foreseeable future, the researchers suggest that using this technology is not necessarily great for the health of our long-term relationships. more

Monday, October 7, 2019

Women Snooping on Boyfriends Help Topple Dictator Instead

It all started in 2015 with a frantic message from a woman in Sudan who was having cold feet ten days before her wedding. The woman had a nagging feeling her husband-to-be was cheating on her, and she was desperate to find out the truth before she went through with the marriage.

She decided to reach out to her friend Rania Omer, who had won a lottery visa to become a U.S. citizen five years earlier.

Now Omer was 24 and studying at a college in Nebraska, but she still fancied herself an anti-matchmaker among her close-knit community back home in Khartoum. The friend wanted Omer’s help. Would she mind posting a photo of the potential husband to Facebook to see if other women could dig up information on him?

A few hours later, Omer had her answer: one commenter posted to say she was his wife. more

Monday, April 22, 2019

Spycam Victim Fights Back

Singapore - NUS guy who filmed girl in shower suspended for a semester & asked to write apology letter.

Victim fights back on social media.

Two separate petitions have been started on behalf of a National University of Singapore student, who was a victim of an act of voyeurism while residing on campus housing.


The two petitions — one with 2,502 signatures and the other with 873 signatures (as of April 21, 5.30am) — were started to call for more to be done for the victim, as well as making punishments harsher as a form of deterrence. more

Thursday, September 6, 2018

Eavesdropping — at the Ian Potter Museum of Art Melbourne

WHAT: Eavesdropping — Tue, 24. July–Sun, 28. October 2018
WHERE: Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne, Australia
ADMISSION: Free

Eaves­drop­ping is a unique col­lab­o­ra­tion between Liquid Archi­tec­ture, Mel­bourne Law School and the Ian Potter Museum of Art, com­pris­ing an exhi­bi­tion, a public pro­gram, series of work­ing groups and tour­ing event which explores the pol­i­tics of lis­ten­ing through work by lead­ing artists, researchers, writ­ers and activists from Aus­tralia and around the world.

EAVES­DROP­PING used to be a crime. Accord­ing to William Black­stone, in his Com­men­taries on the Laws of Eng­land (1769): ​‘eaves­drop­pers, or such as listen under walls or win­dows, or the eaves of a house, to hear­ken after dis­course, and there­upon to frame slan­der­ous and mis­chie­vous tales, are a common nui­sance and pre­sentable at the court-leet.’

Click to enlarge
Two hun­dred and fifty years later, eaves­drop­ping isn’t just legal, it’s ubiq­ui­tous. What was once a minor public order offence has become one of the most impor­tant politico-legal prob­lems of our time, as the Snow­den rev­e­la­tions made abun­dantly clear. Eaves­drop­ping: the ever-increas­ing access to, cap­ture and con­trol of our sonic worlds by state and cor­po­rate inter­ests. But eaves­drop­ping isn’t just about big data, sur­veil­lance and secu­rity... more


Sunday, August 5, 2018

A Spycam Backlash in South Korea

South Korea - Thousands of women wearing red shirts endured the suffocating heat... to protest against the illegal filming of women...

According to South Korean police, a total of 5,363 hidden camera crimes occurred last year*, and similar crimes are still occurring.

Last month, a high school boy was caught filming in a girl’s restroom. Separately, a man in his 30s who sold 2,845 videos illegally filmed in public restrooms was caught as well...

Hidden camera cases coming up over and over again has forced women to become more cautious about using public restrooms. They have come up with ways to spot hidden cameras, such as filling in any holes they find in restrooms and turning off all the lights in bathrooms to check for camera lights.

The organizers, who asked reporters not to ask demonstrators any questions, let their chants and pickets do the talking.
The first protest of the "Inconvenient Courage" kicked off in May, drawing more than 10,000 protestors. And the second and third protests drew another 15,000 and 18,000, respectively.

Saturday's protests, according to the organizers, nearly quadrupled those numbers. more

* This is only the discovered and reported incidents. Most are never discovered.



Tuesday, May 22, 2018

How Domestic Abusers Use Smartphones to Spy on Their Partners

There’s more creepy spyware out there than you think — and regulating it is a legal and technological challenge.

More and more people who commit violence against their intimate partners are using technology to make their victims’ lives worse...

News media, academic researchers, and victim advocates have long acknowledged the threat of spyware in domestic abuse situations. But our research (conducted with our students) brings to light the ease with which spyware can be deployed by abusers, and the broad scope of software usable as spyware...

Installing powerful spyware is just a few clicks away. Search on the web for “track my girlfriend” and you’ll find plentiful links to software, how-to guides, and forums all aimed at making it easy for abusers to spy on victims. (Protection advice is also available.) All the tools an abuser needs are present on Google and Apple’s app stores; installation is as simple as grabbing the victim’s device, typing the password (possibly stolen), and downloading an app. Many such apps require a fee, but in some cases, you can spy free of charge.

And our research shows that current anti-malware programs most often don’t identify such software as problematic. (ours does) more

Click the "our research" link above for the research paper. ~Kevin

Largest Ever Women’s Rally Protests Spycam Pornography

Some 12,000 women gathered in Seoul on Saturday to protest against the “discriminatory treatment” of cases involving male and female victims of digital and online sexual violence, including spy-cam pornography. The event was the biggest women’s rights rally in Korea’s recent history...

According to 2016 data from the Korean National Police Agency, some 5,184 sexual harassment cases including those that involved spy-cam footage -- illegally uploaded video footage created using hidden cameras in public spaces such as public toilets -- were reported that year. More than 80 percent of the victims were women.

Furthermore, more than 7,300 requests were made to remove revenge porn that was uploaded by victims’ ex-romantic partners. more

Friday, March 30, 2018

Peeps - The New Fake Surveillance Cameras

via Boing Boing...
As if the Elf on a Shelf wasn't creepy enough, now they've put Peeps in the faux-surveillance game.

A new book and plush Peep sold together as Peep on a Perch is encouraging parents to start a new "Easter family tradition":
The soft plush Easter Peep included in the set can be perched anywhere throughout the home. Children will be proud to have the Easter Peep watch them being good all day as they get ready for bed without making a fuss, help out around the house, and use good manners. And the more kindness the Easter Peep sees, the happier the Easter Peep gets! PEEPS® fans of all ages will love to make this a new Easter family tradition.

One Amazon reviewer (who gave the product five stars) writes, "The book encourages children to help, share and be kind as the Peep reports directly to the Easter Bunny." No, just no. more

Thursday, February 22, 2018

FutureWatch: Tomorrow's Spys Today

"Help young people. Help small guys. Because small guys will be big. Young people will have the seeds you bury in their minds, and when they grow up, they will change the world." 
~Jack Ma

Teens at the Library for grades 6-10: Spy Academy 
Categories: Community
Date: Thursday, February 22, 2018
Start Time: 6:30 PM (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
End Time: 7:30 PM
Location Northeast Regional Library, 14401 Green Elm Ln, Raleigh, NC 27614
Google Calendar Yahoo! Calendar Windows Live Calendar iCal/Outlook

Put your sleuth skills to the test. Come for a night of code breaking, laser-beams, memory, and more!

For more information...

Monday, February 19, 2018

Slick and Wise Espionage Ethics Discussion

NM - Two former U.S. intelligence officials will discuss the cloak-and-dagger world of espionage and the difficult ethical dilemmas it poses for U.S. spies at a lecture in Albuquerque on Feb. 25.

Stephen Slick, director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project, and Douglas Wise, retired senior CIA operations officer, will wrestle with the question of whether a profession that requires lying, cheating, stealing, manipulating, exploiting and deceiving should have ethical boundaries. In a Journal interview, Slick said every potential intelligence officer must answer that question for themselves, and that their ultimate responsibility is adhering to U.S. and international law.

The panel discussion – part of the Albuquerque International Association’s ongoing lecture series – is Sunday, Feb. 25, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the UNM Continuing Education Auditorium.

Slick said the subject of espionage and ethics is popular among his students, who are often contemplating careers in intelligence. more

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Spying is Turning Us into a Stalking Society

Bugging and GPS-tracking used to be so expensive that they were only used by governments and private investigators, but a quick Amazon search offers up a hidden car-tracking device for US$27 (£19).

In the related items: a spy cam disguised as a USB charger, $52. These items are marketed as a “real-time teen-driving coach”, nanny cams or parental control software, but there is nothing to stop them being used for nefarious purposes.

Meanwhile, law enforcement struggles to keep up: victims of stalking or online harassment are frequently told simply to stop going online, which for a 19-year-old in 2018 is like being told not to breathe air.

As the National Stalking Helpline’s manager, Clare Elcombe Webber, points out, it feels like there are near-infinite technologies to help stalkers but few to help victims. more

Monday, February 12, 2018

The Next Generation of Corporate Spies Begins Training in May

The trailer for a career in spying used to come from movies and TV shows. In May 2018, it will come from gaming. The new game is called Assault Spy.

"The self-proclaimed elite corporate spy Asaru and his deadweight partner Kanoko are hired for a new job in a dreary world dominated by corporations. Their mission? Infiltrate the mega corporation, Negabot. Dash, evade, and smash your way to the truth in this fast paced action game. No secret is safe from THIS bombastic spy duo!"

Well, Some Young Spies Still Learn From TV

Bart purchases a mini spy camera and manages to take a picture of Homer dancing next to stripper named Princess Kashmir at a co-worker's strip club party.

He gives copies of the picture to his friends, and eventually the picture starts to circulate around until eventually Marge sees it. She kicks Homer out of the house, but the next day explains that she is not upset about him dancing next to a woman, but rather that Bart saw it.

She demands that he take Bart and go apologize to Princess Kashmir. Homer agrees and says that he is ready to start respecting women.

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Facial Recognition Glasses Used by Police to Identify Suspects

Chinese police are using dark sunglasses equipped with facial recognition technology to spot criminal suspects.

The glasses, which are being worn by police at a busy train station ahead of the Chinese New Year travel rush, are linked to a central database which contains details of criminal records.

Wearing the technology, police can almost instantly view an individual's personal details, including name, ethnicity, gender and address.

The scene would not look out of place in an episode of science fiction television drama Black Mirror, which often depicts dark scenarios of humans being overcome by technology.

China is deploying new technologies to monitor people in ways that would unnerve many in the West. more

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

For One Family - A New Christmas Gift Rule

Op-ed, NYT opinion
Click to enlarge.

During the holiday season, my husband and I tend to offer suggestions to those who are generous enough to insist on buying presents for our kids.

Things like “Don’t spend more than $50” and “No guns.” Or, for those with whom we can be comfortably blunt, “Just cash, please....

This year we’re adding a new rule to our list: No toys that can spy. The idea: to keep seemingly innocuous internet-connected devices that may compromise our privacy and security out of our home and especially out of our children’s hands. more

• CBS video report on holiday toys that can spy.

• All the cool gifts are made for spying on you.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Guests Keep Finding Spycams in their Airbnb Bedrooms

An Airbnb guest discovered a hidden camera inside his rental property in another disturbing example of the service's users being spied upon.

Jason Scott, an internet activist from the US, tweeted pictures of what he claims was a spy camera hidden in a burglar alarm motion sensor. Scott says he was sent the images by a concerned friend who found the item during a recent stay in an Airbnb property.

According to Scott, the device was an IP camera that was likely connected to the internet and used for surveillance

He wrote: "In "oh, that's a thing now" news, a colleague of mine thought it odd that there was a single "motion detector" in his AirBNB in the bedroom and voila, it's an IP camera connected to the web. (He left at 3am, reported, host is suspended, colleague got refund.)" more

Extra Credit Reading:
 Education is the best prevention against becoming a victim of spy cameras.

Friday, August 11, 2017

Surveillance Feeds Become Reality TV & Movie

They may be blocked from watching YouTube, but China’s 751 million internet users can binge on real-time video streams of yoga studios, swimming lessons, alpaca ranches and thousands of other scenes captured by surveillance cameras.

Much of what’s available would be unthinkable in the West...

In China, however, surveillance is both pervasive and widely accepted. And that’s the subject of a new film by one of China’s best-known contemporary artists.

In “Dragonfly Eyes,” director Xu Bing uses real surveillance footage to tell the story of an ill-fated romance between a young woman who works on a dairy farm and a technician who watches her through the farm’s surveillance system. Mr. Xu believes it’s the first full-length fiction film to be made entirely with surveillance footage. 

Creating “Dragonfly Eyes” convinced Mr. Xu of the prescience of “The Truman Show,” the 1998 satire starring Jim Carrey as a man whose every moment is telecast live without his knowledge, the director said.


“The entire world has become a gigantic film studio,” he said. more sing-a-long

Friday, July 21, 2017

Eavesdropping Comes Out of the Closet – Gets Job as Reality Show

There are some people who love to eavesdrop — they can't help themselves. Then there are others who not only love to listen in, but also have a strong case of schadenfreude and take pleasure in the hardship of others. For these special individuals, there's a podcast that will be their newest obsession: Where Should We Begin.

Couples therapist and author Esther Perel hosts this addictive series, and it's better than reality TV, because you know these drama-filled conversations aren't scripted. During each session, strangers can listen in on private therapy sessions with the psychologist from Belgian. Although the names and identifying characteristics are left out, everything else is fair game in the episodes. more
 

Friday, June 16, 2017

Why You Need a Technical Information Security Survey - Reason #413

Reason #413 - Yes, they are out to get you.

Here is a brief excerpt from an Entrepreneur Magazine article I read recently. It's entitled: 



3 Reasons You Should Spy on Your Competition 


"One of the best ways to thoroughly understand your market is to take a look at your competition. By not spying, you are at a significant disadvantage. 

 

Here are three reasons it’s a good idea to spy on your competition…
  1. Without spying, it’s impossible to know what you’re up against -- as a result, you can’t completely prepare.
  2. It’s easy to do. Don’t be discouraged from spying on your competition by assuming that it is daunting or resource intensive. 
  3. It would be wasteful to not spy. Speaking of wasted resources, without spying on your competition it’s very easy to waste time trying to find your ideal market and your reach."
Although the article does not advocate anything illegal, do you really think a budding entrepreneur ingesting this advice will stop after tasting (legal) low-hanging fruits of knowledge? No, forbidden fruit is even more nourishing. They will "ladder up."

Background

There have always been industrial espionage spies and business espionage tricks. Heck, the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. began this way. The Chinese lost their secrets of silk this way.

Spying as a method of getting ahead in business, was not encouraged by the media during most of the 20th Century. Children were taught entrepreneurial ideals, like: hard work, independence, persistence, and inventiveness.

So, how did we get to the point of, "Screw it, let's just spy!”

Corrosion of societal mores is an evolutionary process. Some of you will remember the days when kids had heroes who exemplified moral codes: The Shadow ("The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay."), Joe Friday (Dragnet), Dan Matthews (Highway Patrol), The Lone Ranger, etc. Others may remember the glamorization of the "good" spy from TV shows like: Secret Agent Man, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mission Impossible, and The Prisoner.

These radio and TV shows still languish deep in digital tombs like YouTube; as forgotten as the Greek Chorus. On the bright side, at least these morality plays still exist.

1960’s spy shows spawned a huge market for children’s spy toys. The market remains strong today, and much more technically advanced.

For decades, children have grown up with spy toys. Spy toy manufacturers blatantly promote spying as cool and fun.

The morally strong TV heroes children used to look up to have disappeared. Today’s “Super Hero” has little connection with reality. The good vs. evil dividing line in the plots has become fuzzy. The super heroes themselves are confusing. Dark sides and moral cracks have infected the genre. Several generations of children have been desensitized to spying, and now, as adults, their moral compasses look like Batman fidget spinners.

Today’s Reality

The workplace is now filled with former children who have no compunction about spying. Almost everyone has a spy tool in their pocket that Maxwell Smart could only dream about. And, if one needs a thumb-sized bug that can be listened in on via a cell phone, from anywhere in the world… it can be purchased on eBay for less than $25.00.

Analysis of Business Espionage Today
   • Risk level: Low.
   • Reward level: High.
   • Why people spy in the workplace:
          - Money.
          - Power.
          - Sex
   • Surveillance Tools:
          - Inexpensive.
          - Readily available in spy shops and 
on the Internet.
          - Untraceable when purchased from 
foreign countries.

Other Contributing Factors…
  • The mores about eavesdropping and espionage have changed.
  • Increased competitive pressures placed on employees, consultants and businesses force ethics bending.
  • Media glorification presents spying as sexy and justifiable.
  • Since the 60's, spy toys and games have been actively promoted to children as being fun and acceptable. Children grow up.
“We don’t need a Technical Information Security Survey. We’ve never had a spying issue here.”

How would you know?
 

Spy Rule #1 - Stay undetected. 
By definition, successful espionage goes undetected, only failures become known.


If you ignore business espionage, or decide to take a “risk-assessment” gamble, you will never know if you’re bleeding information. (Parasites don’t alert their hosts.)

Business espionage can be forced to fail.
Actively look for:
  • evidence of information loss,
  • evidence of electronic surveillance: audio, video and data,
  • information loss vulnerabilities in: the workplace, your transportation, your home office, and at off-site meeting venues,
  • loopholes in your perimeter security,
  • decaying or broken security hardware, upon which you rely,
  • information security policies employees no longer follow,
  • information security vulnerabilities inherent in normal office equipment,
  • and, an independent security consultant, whose specialty is the Technical Information Security Survey, to do this for you.
Vigilant organizations conduct these surveys during off-hours, on a quarterly basis. Diligent organizations tend to have their surveys conducted biannually. Negligent organizations, well, they just have their pockets picked. The point is re-inspections limit windows-of-vulnerability. They also cost less.

An independent consultant’s report is proof of the organization’s due diligence, and may be very helpful in showing enhanced duty of care for trade secrets and other sensitive information in legal settings.

Considering what is at stake, a Technical Information Security Survey is very economical insurance, even better than insurance… it can prevent losses in the first place. Add it to your security program.