High-tech surveillance gadgets such as hidden cameras, SIM card readers, keyloggers and GPS tracking devices are making it more difficult for everyday people to hide their indiscretions.
Consider the tabloid-worthy case of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, whose tearful admission to an affair in Argentina dominated headlines in June. “The State” newspaper in Columbia, SC published flirtatious e-mails sent by computer between the politician and his love interest. Suddenly, the “secret” correspondence between two people became gossip for a nation.
Surveillance technology has evolved so much that you don’t have to be a high-profile citizen to get the low-down on a business associate or loved one. People need very little expertise these days to do spy work, said Bill Hickman, a private investigator who runs Gentile-Meinert and Associates, of Monaca, a borough of Pennsylvania. It’s actually easy, he said, to gather incriminating evidence on people, with just a little technological know-how.
The blessings and convenience of instant communication can easily be a curse when someone is on the receiving end of an investigation. Instant messaging, text messaging, computer e-mails and social networking websites are a few popular activities that can be tapped into by a third party, even when the user believes he or she had deleted or virtually disintegrated the evidence.
Among a private investigator or law officer’s arsenal of modern electronic surveillance equipment are Global Positioning System vehicle tracking devices, tiny hidden cameras, hardware and software that copy and read keyboard strokes and gadgets that download data from cell phones. These items are now readily available on the market to the average person. Spyware or surveillance technology can be purchased of professional quality, at an affordable price.
“The more sophisticated this equipment becomes, the more cost-effective it is,” said Hickman. “And – unfortunately for the surveillance subject – the easier it is to collect evidence.”
Proof of Governor Sanford’s regrettable tryst was probably obtained by some sort of computer spyware such as a keylogger, which allows a third party to copy and read every key stroke someone makes on a computer.
Other popular methods of covert monitoring are:
- Global Positioning System vehicle tracking units track a car’s movements, speed and stops. The monitoring can be done in real time, or the data stored for later download.
- Pens, watches, hats and other items that can be worn on the body or carried, with tiny hidden cameras that record video digitally for later download to computer.
- Common household or office objects with secret cameras inside such as books, clocks, radios and smoke detectors.
- Tiny and powerful hidden camera recording equipment that the user can place in an undetectable location of their choice.
- Software that runs on the computer and records websites, keystrokes, messages and chat rooms. Some also do screen capture and allow Internet blocking.
- SIM card readers that reconstruct a cell phone user’s call and message history.
Besides revealing a partner’s tryst or romantic rendezvous, there are a number of other applications for covert electronic spyware. It might take a little a little time and effort to do the investigating, but, with surveillance equipment, it’s quite easy today for the average Joe or Jane to find out the truth to a hunch or a rumor.
- Capture neighbors or strangers on video when they approach your home or other assets.
- Make sure your children are not visiting inappropriate websites or “messaging” strangers.
- Find out if your loved one is involved in habitual behaviors such as gambling, shopping, alcoholism or drugs.
- Discover illegal activities in your place of business such as theft of supplies, trespassing or vandalism.
- Catch an employee in the habit of revealing trade secrets.
- Observe caregivers such as babysitters or in-the-home skilled nursing staff when you cannot be home with your loved one.
- Monitor laborers or service people working in your home.
- Record personal conversations at home or in business that you might need later for legal purposes.
The knowledge gained and the questions answered could be invaluable.
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Tags: Governor Sanford, Keylogger, Surveillance
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