From: David Alexander Date: Thu Jan 29, 2004 6:06am Subject: RE: man flies Atlantic with 5 bullets in pocket > Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 16:24:58 -0000 > From:"David Alexander" > Subject:man flies Atlantic with 5 bullets in pocket > > The big news here in the UK this morning is that a man with a Sierra Leone > passport arrived at Heathrow Airport (London, England) with 5 rounds of > ammunition in his pocket. He arrived on a flight from the USA. > > I don't know if the US 'readers' of this list are aware of the > problems that > flights from the UK (and I suspect other countries too) have had. A lot of > flights have either been delayed or cancelled. A personal source in HMCS indicated that several of the UK delays were industrial actions by UK pilots & their unions. Having formerly had 450 unionized UK employees under my management and dealing first hand with the mechanisms their union put them up to, it would not be a surprising for this to have been part of the cause. You are right that a small part of the disruption has been down to the Airline Pilots, but over 80% of the problem is down to the US not giving the flights clearance. > Also we are very > unhappy with > the (in our opinion) the high-handed way that the US security authorities > have been dealing with other countries. For example, the FBI and DHS are > insisting that European countries flout their own privacy laws and supply > data about passengers that should not be in the public domain. The net > result among most people I know is quite simple - we're not coming to > America as long as this is in force. We have zero confidence in > the security > authorities to keep the information safe and not misuse it. The data is not to be released into the public domain, but rather is cooperative governmental information. We know that's what US Govt says it for, and I'm sure they mean it. Unfortunately we don't trust them to get it right. Their various agencies do not have a good track record- and once it's out there you can't get it back again. Was there a lot more than passenger lists and simple data for profiling (like methods of payment, citizenship/nationality, and such..) that was being shared? Yes, full biometric data from passports Much of that information was always available. I ended up being interviewed by Special Branch years ago for paying for tickets in cash, among other issues. The EU has dismantled their internal border systems to the point where after Canada & Mexico, the EU is a favored point for importing persons not desired in the USA. > > I'd just like to say that right now, we are laughing ourselves stupid. > > I know it's not you guys who read this list, please don't think > I'm having a > go at you personally, I'm not. Your postings show how dumba** you > think most > of this is and how ineffective it is on internal flights. Now you > know, it's > no better on the international ones either. > Airport security is (and in my estimation will always remain) marginally effective. The fellow had five rounds in his pocket. I've been in the secure areas of a commercial airport openly carrying ammo cans. Nobody asked me who, what or why. Having conducted numerous penetration inspections/exercises on supposedly secure facilities I've experienced a porosity of security that does not lead me to expect any "true security" in public facilities, like airports/airlines. Agreed, so why make it even more inconvenient and more hassle than it's worth. I'll do it for business trips (but not to the USA) but d*mned if I'll do it for a holiday. > Considering how long your sea and land borders are I'm sure that, if I > wanted to, I could get a whole platoon of 'illegals' into the USA without > detection or going anywhere near a scheduled flight. The general step-up at other ingress points is noticeable. Whether it is REMS and UGS in border areas, the cutting back of foliage and the implimentation of modest security on other transpost crossings, there has been a change. Even at a sleepy Manitoba/USA crossing there were armed Military on site and the increase in other measures was noticeable. I meant from a small boat into a sandy cove, or through the woods. I'm sure that the bad guys have no intention of sticking to 'comfortable', easy, routes. > I also think > that, with > the relatively low value of second-hand airliners at the moment, if I was > OBL and looking to repeat 9/11 I'd just buy a couple of old > soviet Aeroflot > transport aircraft and book them on 'one-way cargo runs' into the USA. > > My 2c. > > David Alexander > Dbi Consulting Ltd Valid issues. Expect that these types of vectors are a concern for any potential target country. Airborne & Seaborne infiltration of personnel & materials isn't all that hard, but there is no reason to make it as easy as a walk in the park. There's no reason to make it unacceptably harsh for me, or to risk my personal data either. The aggravation factor has gone up, but I don't think the level of security has, in real terms, increased by much. Certainly not enough to justify where it stands now. IMHO this is another example of the US authorities trying to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut which would be better opened by the use of lateral thought. It is worth remembering that important aspects of physical security include deterring the wrong doers and providing a comfort to the secured peoples at a level that lets them get on with life, albeit hopefully not in a false sense of invincibility & immunity. That's just the point - it's reached a level of discomfort for those of us who understand these issues As always your views from a UK vantage are enjoyed and appreciated. It does concern that you would consider not traveling over the issues. It does beg to wonder if the public demands for information sharing are only an acknowledgement of data long shared on a cooperative less public method. This kind of information sharing was not happening before - our European laws forbid it. Identity theft is a tiny fraction of the problem here in Europe that it is in the US because we have good laws to control data and privacy. Individuals have control and unequivocal redress against abusers. There has always been good co-operation for law enforcement and between the intelligence agencies on either side of the 'pond', but the transfer of full data about those who give no cause for suspicion is currently unacceptable. IMHO the main issue is that the US system needs fixing so it works properly - technology, procedures and people. Once that happens I will be happy to trust them with my data, but not until then. I will give you an example. A 66 year old Caucasian English man spent about 10 days in a South African jail because he was held by them after a request from the US authorities. The reason - his name was similar to the name of a terrorist suspect (who was black and in his twenties). It took the US 10 days to check the facts and say it wasn't the man they wanted, even though the South Africans sent pictures, fingerprints, etc immediately after they took the man into custody. I know how I would feel if that happened to me or my loved ones. Sorry if this seems like a rant, but I do feel very strongly about this subject. Steve W David Alexander Dbi Consulting Ltd Stoneleigh Park Mews Stoneleigh Abbey Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2DB Office : 01926 515515 Mobile: 07836 332576 Email : David.Alexander@d... Have you visited our website? http://www.dbiconsulting.co.uk 8195 From: Date: Thu Jan 29, 2004 6:57am Subject: Ashcroft Thinks Patriot Act Will Stand Ashcroft Thinks Patriot Act Will Stand By CURT ANDERSON .c The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration issued a veto threat Thursday against legislation introduced in Congress that would scale back key parts of the anti-terrorism Patriot Act. In a letter to Senate leaders, Attorney General John Ashcroft said the changes contemplated by the Security and Freedom Ensured Act, or SAFE, would ``undermine our ongoing campaign to detect and prevent catastrophic terrorist attacks.'' If the bill reaches President Bush's desk in its current form, Ashcroft said, ``the president's senior advisers will recommend that it be vetoed.'' The threat comes a week after Bush, in his State of the Union address, called for Congress to reauthorize the Patriot Act before it expires in 2005. The law, passed shortly after the 2001 terror attacks, expanded the government's wiretap and other surveillance authority, removed barriers between FBI and CIA information-sharing, and provided more tools for terror finance investigations. Civil liberties groups and some lawmakers, including Republicans, believe the act goes too far and endangers the privacy of innocent citizens. The SAFE Act, which has not yet had a hearing in either the House or Senate, was introduced last fall by Sens. Larry Craig, R-Idaho; Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; and other lawmakers of both parties. In a statement at the time, Craig said the bill was a ``measured'' response to concerns that the Patriot Act threatens civil liberties and privacy rights. ``This legislation intends to ensure the liberties of law-abiding individuals are protected in our nation's fight against terrorism, without in any way impeding that fight,'' Craig said. The bill would modify so-called ``sneak and peek'' search warrants that allow for delayed notification of the target of the search. In addition, warrants for roving wiretaps used to monitor a suspect's multiple cell phones would have to make sure the target was present at the site being wiretapped before information could be collected. The legislation also would reinstate standards in place prior to passage of the Patriot Act regarding library records by forcing the FBI to show it has reason to believe the person involved is a suspected terrorist or spy. In addition, the bill would impose expiration dates on nationwide search warrants and other Patriot Act provisions, providing for congressional review. Ashcroft, who last year embarked on a national speaking tour in support of the Patriot Act, said the legislation would ``make it even more difficult to mount an effective anti-terror campaign than it was before the Patriot Act was passed.'' The bill is S. 1709. On the Net: Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov Justice Department: http://www.usdoj.gov 01/29/04 12:42 EST [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8196 From: Steve Uhrig Date: Wed Jan 28, 2004 0:15pm Subject: Riser Bond TDR recall Hi all, Riser Bond, now known as Radiodetection Company, has issued a safety recall for their 6000 series TDRs. The specific models mentioned in the recall are 6000, 6000DSL, RD6000 (Standard, VF, DD) and 6000DT. There is a shock hazard, where under certain combinations of connection and operating conditions, the metallic parts of the connectors and case housing can become energized with potentially hazardous voltages. All units in this series are being taken out of service. Ultimately. the company will develop a mod for the unit to address the issues. That mod has not yet been released, so for now they're just recalling all units. Apparently they're taking this seriously, judging from the string of certified letters I've been receiving from them, seemingly one for every unit I've purchased. If you have one of the above, contact Mr. Chuck Morton of Radiodetection at 207-647-9495 x112 for instructions. Do NOT contact me. I am only the messenger. If you need a time tested and proven yellow box Riser Bond TDR (not the series mentioned above), I have several used units in stock at substantial discounts off the new price. All are in perfect condition, with accessories, documentation and new batteries. Info on Riser Bond products can be found on their website www.riserbond.com. Steve ******************************************************************* Steve Uhrig, SWS Security, Maryland (USA) Mfrs of electronic surveillance equip mailto:Steve@s... website http://www.swssec.com tel +1+410-879-4035, fax +1+410-836-1190 "In God we trust, all others we monitor" ******************************************************************* 8197 From: Date: Thu Jan 29, 2004 7:51am Subject: Tracking kids 24/7 Tracking kids 24/7 Using high-tech products, parents can instantly find out where a child is or what he's doing on the computer. But what does this do to the parent-child relationship? By Jennifer Wolcott | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor In this high-tech era, when new electronic gizmos are unveiled almost every day, the term "parental controls" is taking on a whole new meaning. Besides limiting children's access to certain websites, parents can now keep tabs on the Internet sites they surf, read the instant messages and e-mails they send, and even delegate the task of monitoring screen time with a device they install in Junior's computer. But that's not all. The growing business of child surveillance now extends into the offline world, thanks to new GPS devices - including cellphones, wristwatches, and even a surgically implanted chip - that enable adults to track down kids almost anywhere. Adults who use these tools insist they provide a sense of security in today's world of Amber alerts, terrorist warnings, and online predators. Some even go so far as to say it would be neglectful not to use them. But many people warn that tracking devices can create big problems by eroding trust between parents and children. They ask, Are the benefits worth the risk? "What we are doing [with these tools] is diminishing our anxiety but increasing the odds that kids will want to do the wrong thing because they deeply resent their parents' mistrust," says family therapist Alvin Rosenfeld. As for the safety argument, Dr. Rosenfeld doesn't buy it. "It's astonishing the amount of anxiety in our society. Most abductions are by relatives, and online predators really don't come along that often. But when these things happen, the media focus on it so much that parents become terrified." The first to object to such child-surveillance devices, as one would assume, are often those being watched. Recently, one 10-year-old girl fired off this e-mail to spy-software consultant Joshua Finer: "I came across your website, and I think you are a freak! You're breaking the rules of privacy!" But most kids haven't a clue. According to Mr. Finer, the majority of parents who use spy software do it in stealth mode. Of the 20 million American children who access the Internet, about 50 percent of them are "being protected by Internet safety software," he says. Of those, 75 percent have filtering software and 25 percent spy software. C.T. O'Donnell is one parent who favors the use of these products. The father of two teens and president of KidsPeace, a national children's crisis charity, he feels strongly about parents informing their children they are looking over their shoulders and telling them why: "It's my job as a parent to protect you." If parents are going to keep track of a child's whereabouts and activities, it's best to be open about it, child therapists agree. Even then, they say, the use of spy software and other such devices can weaken the parent-child bond. "It all comes down to respect and trust," says Rosenfeld. If a child has done nothing to challenge a parent's trust in him, there's little reason to use the products, he feels. "If children prove themselves unworthy of being trusted, that's different." For his own kids, Rosenfeld believes in using what now seems almost old- fashioned: cellphones. His daughter is a new driver, so having a cellphone enables her to let her parents know when she's about to get on the road and when they can expect her home. A study by the Yankee Group of Boston found that among 11- to 18-year-olds, 56 percent own or use a cellphone. Also, 55 percent of parents say cellphones provide an added layer of security in case of an emergency. But Rosenfeld isn't about to plunk down extra cash for a cellphone that includes a GPS locator so he can track his daughter's whereabouts at all times. Others find this extra feature invaluable - for younger teens anyway. When Nicky Pratt, a stay-at-home mom in Garden City, N.Y., got GPS phones for her kids, the oldest - her 17-year-old son - refused to use it. And she didn't push it. "I can't blame him," she says. "I wouldn't have wanted that at his age. But he does have to check in with me." His younger siblings, on the other hand, thought the phones were cool. Now when they drop by a friend's home after school, they don't have to phone home since Mom can check her own GPS phone to see exactly where they are. "My 13-year-old son never was great at remembering to call," Ms. Pratt says, "so this keeps me from worrying. "Let's face it," she adds, "the world we live in is not the nicest of places." In his research on kid-locating devices, her husband, Tom, came across the wristwatches that feature not only a built-in GPS device but also buttons for calling home or the police. "They seemed bulky to me, and it was too easy to call 911," he says. "Besides, I liked the idea of putting everyone in the family on the same network." Those watches, marketed for kids ages 4 to 12, are locked onto children's wrists with a key, which parents keep. "It's like they're criminals," says Rosenfeld. Also controversial among parenting pros is spy software. Depending how much they want to know about what their children are up to online, parents can choose from among a wide variety of programs. They include IamBigBrother, which specializes in recording all incoming and outgoing instant messages; SpyAgent, which records all correspondence, whether it be instant messages, e-mails, or chat-room exchanges; and eBlaster, one of the most sophisticated and aggressive, which immediately forwards incoming and outgoing e-mails to a parent as they are sent. Xanovia also offers the ability to spy on webcam activity as well as to capture and compress screen shots. Instead of installing such intrusive programs, many parents opt for filtering software, which may deny access to unwanted websites, block pop-up or pop-under windows, and shut out many unwanted e-mails. And then there are those timers that can be installed in computers. Rick Cohen, inventor of EyeTimer, says parents are drawn to his product because it "takes them out of the role of being the bad guy." Instead of Mom or Dad shouting "time's up," the computer does it for them with 10-, five- and one-minute warnings before shutdown. "I realize it's not a substitute for being a good parent," says Mary Rable, a mother of three, "but you have to pick your battles, and this is one that's been eliminated for me." She allows her 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter to spend 45 minutes each on the computer per day, and she relies on EyeTimer to enforce that rule. Keeping kids from zoning out for hours in front of a computer is one of parents' greatest concerns today, says Mr. Cohen. Studies show that children spend an average of 35 hours per week in front of a screen, whether it be a computer or a TV. But some quibble with the idea of delegating important negotiations to an electronic device. Others go beyond that, questioning the long-term effects of all of this virtual parenting. "I'm concerned," says Wendy Simonds, an assistant sociology professor at Georgia State University, "that subsequent generations are going to take all this surveillance for granted and stop thinking about all the technology that surrou nds them and what it means. "Adults don't want to micromanage kids' lives," she adds, "but I understand the temptation to do that because this technology exists." It all goes back to the need for community, says Robert Butterworth, a Los Angeles therapist who studies families and technology. "When I was growing up, neighbors were always watching us, and we didn't want to mess up because somebody might tell [our parents]. That sense of community no longer exists because no one wants to get involved, so parents are forced to use technology." Full HTML version of this story which may include photos, graphics, and related links www.csmonitor.com | Copyright © 2004 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint/republish this article, please email copyright@c... from the January 28, 2004 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0128/p13s02-lifp.html [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8198 From: Date: Thu Jan 29, 2004 4:44pm Subject: Lawmakers kill eavesdropping bill Lawmakers kill eavesdropping bill By JUSTIN BERGMAN Associated Press Writer January 26 2004 RICHMOND, Va. -- A Senate committee Monday killed legislation that would have made it illegal to record a conversation without first getting the other person's consent. Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath County, said his bill was in response to the Republican eavesdropping scandal of 2002, in which former state GOP executive director Edmund A. Matricardi III admitted he illegally listened in on and taped two Democratic Party conference calls. Matricardi pleaded guilty to a federal felony count of unlawful interception of a wire communication and was sentenced last July to three years of probation and fined $5,000. "Politicians are the ones that don't have this figured out," Deeds said. "It's happened too often in the past. It'll probably reappear." However, Republicans called the law unnecessary, saying Deeds was engaging in "political posturing." Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, Senate Courts of Justice Committee chairman, said what Matricardi did was illegal, whether he recorded the conversation or not. "The factual scenarios don't have anything to do with one another," said Stolle, R-Virginia Beach. "What Matricardi got convicted of has always been illegal in Virginia. ... There's absolutely no excuse for doing what the party did in those circumstances. But what (Deeds') bill did had nothing to do with that." The bill would have made it a Class 1 misdemeanor not to obtain consent from every party on a conference call or other electronic communication before recording it. Law enforcement personnel would have been exempted. Claudia Tucker, chief of staff to former House speaker S. Vance Wilkins Jr., also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for listening in on one of the Democratic conference calls. She was fined $1,000 for one count of unauthorized publication of a wire communication. Stolle said it was "asinine" to create a huge expectation of privacy where it wasn't necessary. "I think it's political posturing," he said. "I don't know if he's trying to make a statement, what he's trying to do." The Courts of Justice Committee defeated the bill 7-4. The bill is SB250 On the Net: http://leg1.state.va.us/ Copyright © 2004, Daily Press [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8199 From: Date: Thu Jan 29, 2004 4:48pm Subject: 'Warspying' San Francisco 'Warspying' San Francisco Hobbyists explore the City by the Bay, as seen though its wireless cameras. By Kevin Poulsen, SecurityFocus Jan 28 2004 4:45PM Striding through San Francisco's busy financial district after dusk, 20-year-old Jake Appelbaum is an odd sight. His left hand is clutching the handle of a two-foot-long fiberglass pole wrapped in a metal spiral, which he holds high like a lance. The device is a directional antenna: a thin cable hangs between it and what looks like a handheld TV in Appelbaum's other hand. As he walks, Appelbaum studies the fluttering static on the receiver's LCD screen while rapidly thumb-clicking a button below it, occasionally glancing up to avoid slamming into other pedestrians on the sidewalk -- most of whom stare as he passes. "You get the Playboy Channel on that?," one asks. He doesn't. But at the corner of Mason and Post a clear black-and-white image flickers onto the 2.5 inch screen. It's the interior of an office: a clock and a piece of art can be seen above a desk cluttered with stacks of books. The view is angled sidewise and up towards a drop ceiling, and is partly obscured, giving the video feed a decidedly covert look. Watching the display, Appelbaum sweeps the antenna slowly, left to right, up and down, dowsing for the source of the signal, which seems to be emanating from an upper floor of a hotel. "That's a hidden camera right there," he says, with perhaps more confidence than is due. Applebaum is part of an informal three-person "warspying" expedition out to peek in on San Francisco's wireless cameras, and the image of the empty office is one of the more interesting finds of the evening. 'We kind of look at this as useless, recreational fun.' -- MWD A 2002 New York Times article first brought to light how easily outsiders could intercept the video from the inexpensive cameras sold by Seattle-based X10 Wireless Technology (once very familiar to netizens from a steady barrage of pop-up ads around the Web) using nothing more than the receivers sold with the cameras. Later that year, a how-to in 2600 magazine coined the phrase "warspying" to describe the sport of driving or walking around to sniff out wireless video signals from X10s and other cameras that share the unlicensed 2.4GHz band. The sport generally involves hacking up a standard 2.4GHz video receiver, equipping it with an external antenna connector, a long-lasting power supply and possibly an amplifier to boost its range. Hobbyists with more cash than soldering skills can spring for a $400 Icom IC-R3 scanner, capable of picking up wireless video signals and displaying them on a built-in two-inch LCD screen. "Experimenting with wireless video opens a whole new world for monitoring, whether for fun or security," reads the Icom webpage. "I have no doubt that there's people out there doing it right now," says Simon Byers, a researcher at AT&T Labs. "It's so easy, and it's highly entertaining. Just look at the amount of people being arrested for being peeping Toms each year, and all the psuedeo-voyeur type porn out there. I have no doubt that it's going on to a certain degree." But just what are the video sniffers picking up? If the San Francisco expedition late last week is any indication, the answer is, not all that much. The outing was organized by a 60-year-old techie and ham radio operator who asked to be identified only by his online moniker, "Massive White Dude." MWD first went warspying (he prefers the neutral term "warviewing") a year ago, and he experimented with a couple of different receivers and antennas to discover what he says is the best combination for the job. His receiver of choice is the Action ACN-53292, a sleek handheld unit sold as part of a system designed to let you retransmit your favorite cable TV shows and watch from anywhere in the house. The Action receiver doesn't scan through the video channels automatically (hence the need for vigorous button-pushing), but it sports a color LCD display, accepts an external antenna, and through an undocumented feature can tap four extra video channels that a standard X10 receiver misses. MWD found it in an airline catalog. "We kind of look at this as useless, recreational fun," he says, demonstrating the gear near a video hotspot he's already charted in the Potrero Hill district. There, images from two cameras fighting over the same frequency are grainy and dark. He gets better results a few blocks away, where he taps the signal from a pole-mounted freeway cam pointed at the San Francisco skyline. From near the highway he can see what the camera sees, in color, on his little Action receiver. Geek Appeal Once the expedition moves into uncharted territory, though, results become more rare. With Applebaum and another young hacker handling the equipment in the backseat, it takes half-an-hour of driving around in MWD's Volvo before the crew gets another hit near a city hospital. The screen shows a car pulling into a parking lot, the driver in a close-up reaching out to pluck a ticket from the dispenser. Out of the Volvo and on foot with the directional antenna, MWD and his apprentices zero in on the camera: it's at the entrance to the hospital's visitor lot -- a sign beneath the tinted dome warns that the area is under video surveillance. Thumbing though the other channels, the trio finds a view from a second camera, peering down from the ceiling of the parking attendant's booth. On screen, the attendant organizes some papers, steps to the other side of the booth and leans to the window to speak with a driver-unaware, presumably, that the ragtag clutch of strangers huddled across the street have a bird's-eye view of him. This kind of snooping doesn't violate federal wiretap laws, which generally protect audio communication, but not video, says Joseph Metcalf, an assistant professor at the University of Oregon law school. Moreover, the law keeps it legal to monitor radio transmissions that aren't encrypted or scrambled in any way, unless they're in a band specifically protected by statute, like analog cell phone signals. "If a communication is readily accessible to the general public, that communication is not protected by the federal Wiretap Act," says Metcalf. But MWD doesn't relish trying to explain that to the San Francisco Police Department. Even when he's not warviewing, he keeps a police scanner running in his car, to "keep an ear on the pulse on the city," and tonight it provides some comfort by not squawking out calls about strange men carrying alien-looking ray gun equipment, or driving slowly and suspiciously though the city's varied neighborhoods in an ominous black '64 Volvo. After the hospital parking lot, San Francisco's airwaves yield nothing through nearly two hours of driving and button-pushing. A cruise through family-friendly Noe Valley fails to produce a single wireless nanny-cam. The county jail, city hall, the library-- zip. Finally, in a gritty neighborhood of warehouses and adult video stores, MWD's gang starts sniffing out cameras again: finding signals from the car, then parking and closing in on foot. At a small grocery store, a tiny black X10 is mounted atop a hanging florescent light and pointed at the door. Outside an apartment building, a color image from a security camera shows an empty hall. A few other cameras pop up, but nothing exciting -- until the financial district, where on the same block as the office cam, MWD's receiver picks up the very freeway camera that marked the start of the expedition. The camera is more than two miles away, while most wireless video cameras have trouble reaching the curb. The appearance of the signal so far from its source energizes the team. "That's definitely the catch of the night there," says MWD. With a little detective work, MWD will eventually discover that the signal is a directional transmission from the camera to a local TV station that features the feed on its website and in its nightly newscast. His satisfaction at the discovery hints at the real nature of warspying: at least for MWD, the appeal isn't voyeuristic at all -- it's pure geek. The stroll through the financial district ends when Appelbaum notices a police car driving by a little too slowly as he waves the giant antenna around. The gang piles into the Volvo and heads out. "The problem is, if the cops take an interest in you while you're doing something like this, the only way to get out of the situation is to admit that you're a dork," says MWD. "I'd almost rather be taken back to the station." Copyright © 1999-2004 SecurityFocus NEWS < http://www.securityfocus.com/news/7931 > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8200 From: James M. Atkinson Date: Fri Jan 30, 2004 0:34am Subject: NEW CPM-700 and Inexpensive 12 GHz Microwave Probe OK Folks, here it is. The CPM-700 is a great tool for any sweep team, in fact a sweep team should have at least 2 or 3 of this systems, and protective details should have one for each member of the detail. While it has always suffered from poor performance above 2 GHz (and was essentially deaf above 3 GHz) a new probe to boost this coverage from 2 to 12 GHz is now available, and I have uploaded an updated page on it to: http://www.tscm.com/cpm700a.html If you need TSCM gear then please consider buying it from Granite Island Group, our prices are very attractive, order turn around is fast, and we take all major credit cards, wire transfer, etc. When others are selling a Basic CPM-700 system for $2995 or more, we sell for only $2195... when they charge you $4395 for a system with the extra probes, we only charge $2752... sort of makes you scratch your head think for a minute. Check it out, and when you need sweep gear give us a call or email... you will not regret it. http://www.tscm.com/cpm700a.html -jma ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Expertly Hunt Real Spies, Real Eavesdroppers, and Real Wiretappers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 381-9111 Granite Island Group Fax: 127 Eastern Avenue #291 Web: http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 Email: mailto:jmatk@tscm.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Class, Professional, Ethical, and Competent Bug Sweeps, and Wiretap Detection using Sophisticated Laboratory Grade Test Equipment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8201 From: David Alexander Date: Fri Jan 30, 2004 4:28am Subject: US organisations irresponsible with customer data - now we have proof Further to my posting yesterday, here is the proof that my concerns are valid: Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_11.02.html ====================================================================== [1] EPIC FOIA Docs: Northwest Gave NASA Info on Millions of Passengers ====================================================================== EPIC has obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) revealing that Northwest Airlines provided the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with three months of passenger information for research purposes. Confirmation of the disclosure came after a two-year effort by EPIC to obtain information about the government's post-9/11 development of air travel security measures. In July 2002, EPIC received documents from the Transportation Security Administration showing that NASA met with Northwest officials in December 2001 to discuss NASA research, including the development of "non-invasive neuro-logic sensors" as well as passenger screening technology. Days later, NASA asked that Northwest provide "system-wide Northwest Airlines passenger data from July, August and September 2001" for use in NASA's "research and development work." In September 2003, it was reported that JetBlue Airways turned over passenger information to a Defense Department contractor for use in a data mining and passenger profiling study. At the time, a Northwest official told the New York Times, "we do not provide that type of information to anyone." In the wake of the JetBlue incident, EPIC submitted a FOIA request to NASA asking for records related to negotiations for passenger information with Northwest or other airlines. In response, NASA provided EPIC documents confirming that Northwest gave NASA three months of passenger information for use in a data mining and passenger profiling study. The documents show that in September 2003 NASA returned to Northwest the CDs on which the passenger data were provided, after retaining the data for nearly two years. In an e-mail message to Northwest, a NASA researcher noted, "you may have heard about the problems that JetBlue is now having after providing passenger data for a project similar to ours." David Alexander Dbi Consulting Ltd Stoneleigh Park Mews Stoneleigh Abbey Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2DB Office : 01926 515515 Mobile: 07836 332576 Email : David.Alexander@d... Have you visited our website? http://www.dbiconsulting.co.uk 8202 From: James M. Atkinson Date: Fri Jan 30, 2004 1:32pm Subject: X10 Files... for Chapter 11 X10 files for Chapter 11 By Paul Festa Staff Writer, CNET News.com http://news.com.com/2100-1014-5095260.html Story last modified October 22, 2003, 3:16 PM PDT The company that only last year billed itself as the world's largest online advertiser has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. X10 Wireless Technology, which marketed its Net cameras through a vast campaign of Web pop-under advertisements, made the filing on Tuesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington. The filing came one day before the company faced a hearing in Orange County Superior Court for punitive damages following its loss to a tiny ad start-up called Advertisement Banners.com, based in Anaheim, Calif. That company had alleged that X10 had stolen its method of serving pop-under ads, or ads that show up beneath a Web page and remain on the screen once the window is closed. On Oct. 7, the jury in the case awarded Advertisement Banners $4.3 million in compensatory damages, according to court records. The judge issued a gag order Tuesday in the case that will last until the jury is dismissed. X10 and its bankruptcy attorney did not return calls. Attorneys for Advertisement Banners cited the gag order in declining to comment. Under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a company typically continues to operate, shielded from creditors, while it reorganizes its finances. Court documents revealed that at Wednesday's punitive damages hearing, X10 told the court it had filed for bankruptcy protection, and the court put off the punitive damages hearing until Nov. 18. The filing reveals some financial details of a company that had made itself known throughout the Web for its ubiquitous pop-under campaign and yet remained secretive about its operations. The privately held firm, based in Kent, Wash., estimated its assets at between $1 million and $10 million, and its debts at between $10 million and $50 million. Advertisement Banners is by far the company's largest creditor, to the tune of $3.9 million, according to the filing. X10 owes Los Angeles law firm Sheppard Mullin Richter Ham $667,412; Microsoft $459,264; Yahoo $346,128; Google $69,984; and America Online $55,413. It also owes $95,047 to Overture Services, which was recently acquired by Yahoo. X10 filed what the bankruptcy court termed a "deficient" filing, meaning that it lacked a statement of its financial affairs. The court set a 15-day deadline for the completion of the filing, or X10 risks a dismissal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Expertly Hunt Real Spies, Real Eavesdroppers, and Real Wiretappers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 381-9111 Granite Island Group Fax: 127 Eastern Avenue #291 Web: http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 Email: mailto:jmatk@tscm.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Class, Professional, Ethical, and Competent Bug Sweeps, and Wiretap Detection using Sophisticated Laboratory Grade Test Equipment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8203 From: contranl Date: Fri Jan 30, 2004 8:40am Subject: Video-scanners . . Why do i keep on reading that the icom ic-r3 is such a handy device to receive wireless video-cameras in the 2,4 ghz band ???? I like to point out that : IT DOES NOT WORK ! Sensitivity is absolutely zero and of no use. The first 4 channel home-video receiver (2,4 ghz link) that you can buy on every corner of the street is a 1000 times better. Shure...Icom has made some nice products...but this one is a failure I can only conclude that any company selling and advertising the ic- r3 is making a fool of it self and prooving at the sametime that they have no experience in this area. On top of that the frequency range is to limited and does not cover all used channels. I do make a good receiver myself that does work good and is specially designed for the purpose of discovering unknown video- transmissions. It covers 2200~2600 mhz and 1000~1400 mhz at the same time (2 receivers parallel). Monitor will switch on automatically and a alarm will sound when a valid video signal is received.(sync-detectors) Search speed is high enough to use it even while driving at a reasonable speed without missing a signal. It will also alert you to other signals such as microwave/radar/wlan/ spreadspectrum/freq-hopping signals by showing the typical patterns on the built-in lcd videoscreen Check it out at: www.tetrascanner.com in the "other projects section" Thanks Tetrascanner Amsterdam The Netherlands . 8204 From: Steve Weinert Date: Thu Jan 29, 2004 0:24pm Subject: RE: man flies Atlantic with 5 bullets in pocket (Note - I've tried to repair the "> "to make sense of who typed which statements! > -----Original Message----- > Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 12:06:40 -0000 > From: "David Alexander" > Subject: RE: man flies Atlantic with 5 bullets in pocket > > > Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2004 16:24:58 -0000 > > From:"David Alexander" > > Subject:man flies Atlantic with 5 bullets in pocket > > ...... > > The data is not to be released into the public domain, but rather is > > cooperative governmental information. > We know that's what US Govt says it for, and I'm sure they mean it. > Unfortunately we don't trust them to get it right. Their various > agencies do > not have a good track record- and once it's out there you can't > get it back > again. I think as valid as your concerns are, they are concerns you should extend to include both the UK Gov & the "crown". A couple visits to Cheltenham might be enlightening.... You are right to be concerned. > > > > Was there a lot more than passenger lists and simple data for profiling > > (like methods of payment, citizenship/nationality, and such..) that was > > being shared? > > Yes, full biometric data from passports Only the newest even have this information, which the EU requires as part of the priviledge of gaining use of an EU passport. > > > > > I'd just like to say that right now, we are laughing ourselves stupid. > > > > I know it's not you guys who read this list, please don't think > > I'm having a > > go at you personally, I'm not. Your postings show how dumba** you > > think most > > of this is and how ineffective it is on internal flights. Now you > > know, it's > > no better on the international ones either. > > > > > Airport security is (and in my estimation will always remain) marginally > > effective. The fellow had five rounds in his pocket. I've been in the > > secure areas of a commercial airport openly carrying ammo cans. Nobody > > asked me who, what or why. > > Having conducted numerous penetration inspections/exercises on supposedly > > secure facilities I've experienced a porosity of security that > > does not lead > > me to expect any "true security" in public facilities, like > > airports/airlines. > Agreed, so why make it even more inconvenient and more hassle than it's > worth. I'll do it for business trips (but not to the USA) but > d*mned if I'll > do it for a holiday. The inconvience? Peeved is more likely. On a broader view of this, it is amazing how much information is actually out there. Financial, the wee things like changes in your deliveries and phone use records, that are only "sort" of private. The UK's intensive use of Big Brother technology (cameras mostly) amazes the man on the street from the USA point of view. It is an interesting world, eh?! > > > Considering how long your sea and land borders are I'm sure that, if I > > wanted to, I could get a whole platoon of 'illegals' into the > USA without > > detection or going anywhere near a scheduled flight. > > > The general step-up at other ingress points is noticeable. Whether it is > > REMS and UGS in border areas, the cutting back of foliage and the > > implimentation of modest security on other transpost crossings, there has > > been a change. Even at a sleepy Manitoba/USA crossing there were armed > > Military on site and the increase in other measures was noticeable. > > I meant from a small boat into a sandy cove, or through the > woods. I'm sure > that the bad guys have no intention of sticking to 'comfortable', easy, > routes. > REMS & UGS ..... (remote electronic monitoring systems & unattended ground surveilance)... I was surprised to be quizzed after boating across the border to clear some reefs in an extremely remote local, as we never landed on the other side. Borders are very "holely" - in the pre-EU Europe I got myself in a smidge of a bind as I had ended up in Switzerland and wanted to exit to Germany but couldn't show how I got there (I had taken my car in through France while, let's say, "sightseeing" at an unmarked, umonitored crossing). The EU's external borders are considered very open - with much of the same logistics issues in security as the USA has. > > > Valid issues. Expect that these types of vectors are a concern for any > > potential target country. Airborne & Seaborne infiltration of personnel & > > materials isn't all that hard, but there is no reason to make it > > as easy as > > a walk in the park. > > There's no reason to make it unacceptably harsh for me, I've somehow missed how it is difficult or "harsh". Over a beer I'd love to chat about some of the interviews I was at the receiving end of in the UK with Customs and such.... Harsh is three trips to Ringway trying to fly out, but being kept off the flight because the UK Gov wasn't sure who was who and basically didn't seem ready to let the travel begin. > or to risk my > personal data either. The aggravation factor has gone up, but I > don't think > the level of security has, in real terms, increased by much. Certainly not > enough to justify where it stands now. IMHO this is another example of the > US authorities trying to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut which would be > better opened by the use of lateral thought. Suggestions for a better way? The UK Gov & the "crown" collected a huge amount of information when my visa was done and updated to other statuses. Invasionary? Maybe... but then they had something I needed, so I considered it a trade. > > > It is worth remembering that important aspects of physical > > security include > > deterring the wrong doers and providing a comfort to the secured > > peoples at > > a level that lets them get on with life, albeit hopefully not in a false > > sense of invincibility & immunity. > > That's just the point - it's reached a level of discomfort for those of us > who understand these issues > > > As always your views from a UK vantage are enjoyed and > > appreciated. It does > > concern that you would consider not traveling over the issues. > > It does beg > > to wonder if the public demands for information sharing are only an > > acknowledgement of data long shared on a cooperative less public method. > > This kind of information sharing was not happening before - our European > laws forbid it. Identity theft is a tiny fraction of the problem here in > Europe that it is in the US because we have good laws to control data and > privacy. Individuals have control and unequivocal redress against abusers. > There has always been good co-operation for law enforcement and > between the > intelligence agencies on either side of the 'pond', but the > transfer of full > data about those who give no cause for suspicion is currently > unacceptable. Having worked hand in hand with several European outfits, including Police/CID types, I'm much less optomistic that the EU laws have kept your identity data private or even privvy to only government. > IMHO the main issue is that the US system needs fixing so it works > properly - technology, procedures and people. Once that happens I will be > happy to trust them with my data, but not until then. > I will give you an example. A 66 year old Caucasian English man > spent about > 10 days in a South African jail because he was held by them after > a request > from the US authorities. The reason - his name was similar to the > name of a > terrorist suspect (who was black and in his twenties). It took the US 10 > days to check the facts and say it wasn't the man they wanted, even though > the South Africans sent pictures, fingerprints, etc immediately after they > took the man into custody. I know how I would feel if that > happened to me or > my loved ones. This was in the news and at face value sounded to be a hugely bungled event. The media seemed to have dropped all coverage once he was freed and the problem(s) were never outted. > Sorry if this seems like a rant, but I do feel very strongly about this > subject. > > David Alexander As I said, your views are greatly appreciated and with sympathy. Almost makes one want to get a Sealand Passport and disappear off the radar screen in that way. Do hope you change your mind and "risk" the adventure of popping across the pond. With the weak dollar it is a great value for UK based travelers! First beer is on me! Steve W 8205 From: Date: Mon Feb 2, 2004 9:18am Subject: New Camcorders Put Tape on Notice New Camcorders Put Tape on Notice By Daniel Greenberg Special to The Washington Post Sunday, February 1, 2004; Page F07 If videotape is not quite dead yet, it sure feels antique: We no longer mess with loops of tape to listen to music or watch movies, so why do we have to bother with it to make them? Manufacturers, however, are finally catching up to the times. Two new, absurdly small camcorders, Panasonic's D-Snap SV-AV100 and the Fisher FVD-C1 CameraCorder, can untie you from tape, instead using postage-stamp-size SD Cards to record video. The tiny memory cards allow these camcorders to weigh only six ounces each and fit neatly into a hand, purse or pocket -- unobtrusive enough to feel like a spy camera, and far smaller than even the most compact DVD-R camcorder, until now the only way to go tapeless. And the speed of flash memory means both models can upload movies to a computer far faster than any tape-based camcorder. The price for such portability and convenience? About a thousand dollars, and then some. The Fisher camcorder runs $900, the Panasonic $1,000. Each includes a capacious 512-megabyte SD Card -- but even that won't hold more than 30 minutes of video at close-to-DVD quality settings (640 by 480 video at 30 frames per second). If you opt for the Panasonic's 704-by-480 higher-quality mode, your recording time drops to just 10 minutes. You can switch to lower-quality settings -- for example, 320 by 240 pixels, on par with VHS, and 176 by 144, closer to Web video -- but they look grainy in comparison. Just buying a bigger card isn't quite practical yet; only one vendor, SanDisk, even makes a one-gigabyte SD Card, and it's only available at "select retailers" for a list price of $500. If you can discipline your use -- or if you don't mind carrying around a holsterful of 512GB SD Cards -- what do you get with each gadget? Both exhibit the same basic design, with flip-up color LCD screens that can be pivoted into a variety of useful and flexible positions. (The Panasonic's display is larger, but not as sharp.) Both camcorders have optical zoom lenses, but the Panasonic's works faster and goes further -- 10x to the Fisher's 5.8x zoom. Both come with small remote controls, USB 2.0 cables (not the usual FireWire connection) for fast file transfers, rechargeable batteries and docking cradles for easy recharging and picture transfer. Enthusiasts will find a variety of manual settings to play with, such as white balance and manual focus. The Fisher wins the overall ergonomic competition with its more comfortable shape and a sensible button layout that puts all the essential controls right under the thumb. The Panasonic camcorder feels more cluttered -- the all-important navigation cursor is hidden under the flip-out LCD screen and arranged at an odd angle. Fisher also beats Panasonic with its software bundle, which includes Ulead's PhotoExplorer 8 and VideoStudio 7. Panasonic's basic MediaStage software was good only for organization, not editing. And the company's installer routine shows such signs of sloppiness as poorly translated prompts ("Do you make the shortcut of Media Stage in the desktop computer?") and driver software that hadn't passed Microsoft compatibility testing. Both of these camcorders can double as digital still cameras, but only the Fisher includes a flash and a choice of resolutions -- two and three megapixel modes in addition to the appallingly low 640-by-480 resolution the Panasonic is stuck at. It also lets you shoot a still photo while filming, a very convenient option in practice. These two cameras are more notable for what they suggest about the future than what they can do now. Imagine, in particular, if you could combine the Panasonic's higher-quality video modes with the Fisher's ease of use. And if the results didn't cost double or triple the going rate for a tape-based digital camcorder. Until then, digital videotape such as MiniDV, for all its bulk, weight and overall inconvenience, remains the affordable, practical solution. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8206 From: James M. Atkinson Date: Mon Feb 2, 2004 10:15pm Subject: Road Bomb 'Jammers' Being Used in Iraq washingtonpost.com Road Bomb 'Jammers' Being Used in Iraq By JOHN J. LUMPKIN The Associated Press Friday, January 30, 2004; 4:30 PM WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers riding in convoys in Iraq are relying on electronic "jammers" to help protect against the roadside bombs insurgents have used to deadly effect. The anti-bomb technology isn't perfect, however. In some cases it only delays a bomb from detonating, so it can still explode and kill bystanders. It's unclear how widely the jammers - the same technology that saved Pakistan's leader from a recent assassination attempt - are being used in Iraq. Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, acknowledged their use in testimony this week before the House Armed Services Committee, but he declined to discuss the bomb defenses in detail. The military does not want to provide useful information to Iraqi insurgents, officials say. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., suggested few are being used. "The Iraqis have figured out if they hit that detonator enough times, they're going to kill a vehicle that does not have a jammer," Taylor told Schoomaker. "The percentage of vehicles that have some form of electronic jammer - it is minuscule, and I know it, you know it, and the Iraq insurgents know it." But Schoomaker said protection doesn't depend on universal use. "Every vehicle doesn't have to be equipped," he said. "You have to have groups of vehicles that have that kind of capability, under an umbrella." The jammers work by preventing a remotely transmitted signal - say, rigged from a cell phone - from detonating an explosive when the bomber presses the button. Depending on the distance, power and design of the jammer, some might prevent the bomb from going off. Others might instead set it off before or after the convoy passes - potentially wreaking havoc on bystanders. Roadside bombs have been primary killers of U.S. troops in Iraq. Many go off under passing convoys, killing or injuring the occupants of one of the vehicles. But in some cases, they have gone off only after a convoy has passed. That can be a sign that a jammer on one of the vehicles did its job, said James Atkinson, head of the Granite Island Group, a Gloucester, Mass.-based security and counterespionage firm. Anti-bomb jammers have been in use since the early 1980s, Atkinson said. Military aircraft have used them for decades, and versions of anti-jamming technology are advertised on the Internet. It's unclear if those versions are effective, however. Depending on their sophistication, jammers can cost from hundreds to millions of dollars. Most can be powered by a car engine. Some work by transmitting on frequencies that bombers are known to use. Guerrillas frequently rig remote-controlled detonators out of garage door openers, car alarm remotes or cellular phones, Atkinson said. Others, called barrage jammers, put out signals on a wide range of frequencies, he said. These will knock cellular phones and CB radios off the air in a given area. Both kinds can cause a premature or late detonation of a bomb, or prevent it from going off entirely. "When you see a car bomb that goes off several blocks away from its intended target, it's usually a dead giveaway it was jammed," Atkinson said. Jamming devices carried in the motorcade of Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf delayed the detonation of a huge bomb that exploded moments after his limousine passed over a bridge near the capital Dec. 14, Pakistani intelligence has said. Since then, Pakistan has imported more jamming devices for security of VIPs, a senior government official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Thursday. He refused to give further details, including where the devices were imported from, citing security reasons. In Israel, a special unit in the Ministry of Defense developed jamming technology in the early 1990s and used it extensively in southern Lebanon in the mid- to late 1990s in an effort to neutralize roadside charges placed by Hezbollah. It is unclear what defenses exist against other kinds of bombs, such as those that rely on timers or are hard-wired to a switch. Pakistani officials claimed their jamming devices also interrupted a timer. In Iraq, employing the jammers is one of a number of steps the military is taking to protect vehicles and soldiers. Others include deploying a more heavily armored Humvee and giving soldiers improved body armor. "We've taken some major moves there that are paying off, in my view." Schoomaker said. In Baghdad, a military official said the Iraqi bombs have varied widely in sophistication. "Our soldiers have become ... very adept at noticing, observing," said Brig. Gen. Vincent Boles, commander of the 3rd Corps Support Command. "We're discovering more than are exploding." © 2004 The Associated Press ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Expertly Hunt Real Spies, Real Eavesdroppers, and Real Wiretappers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 381-9111 Granite Island Group Fax: 127 Eastern Avenue #291 Web: http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 Email: mailto:jmatk@tscm.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Class, Professional, Ethical, and Competent Bug Sweeps, and Wiretap Detection using Sophisticated Laboratory Grade Test Equipment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8207 From: Date: Tue Feb 3, 2004 9:29am Subject: File - mission.txt TSCM-L Technical Security Mailing List Dedicated to TSCM specialists engaging in expert technical and analytical research for the detection, nullification, and isolation of eavesdropping devices, wiretaps, bugging devices, technical surveillance penetrations, technical surveillance hazards, and physical security weaknesses. This also includes bug detection, bug sweep, and wiretap detection services. Special emphasis is given to detecting and countering espionage and other threats and activities directed by foreign intelligence services against the United States Government, United States corporations, establishments, and citizens. The list includes technical discussion regarding the design and construction of SCIF facilities, Black Chambers, and Screen Rooms. This list is also for discussing DIAM 50-3, NSA-65, and DCID 1/21, 1/22 compliance. The primary goal and mission of this list is to "raise the bar" and increase the level of professionalism present within the TSCM business. The secondary goal of this list is to increase the quality and effectiveness of our efforts so that we give spies and eavesdroppers no quarter, and to neutralize all of their espionage efforts. This mailing list is moderated by James M. Atkinson and sponsored by Granite Island Group as a public service to the TSCM, Counter Intelligence, and technical security community. 8208 From: James M. Atkinson Date: Tue Feb 3, 2004 6:20pm Subject: New 2047 U/C For Sale I am offering for sale another NEW 2047 U/C Ultrasonic Stethoscope. You can read about this model at: http://www.tscm.com/mlk2047.html I am asking $1145, and I can take all major credit cards. The first person to pony up payment gets the item. Only offered for sale in the US, and will only be shipped to a US address. -jma ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Expertly Hunt Real Spies, Real Eavesdroppers, and Real Wiretappers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 381-9111 Granite Island Group Fax: 127 Eastern Avenue #291 Web: http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 Email: mailto:jmatk@tscm.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Class, Professional, Ethical, and Competent Bug Sweeps, and Wiretap Detection using Sophisticated Laboratory Grade Test Equipment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8209 From: Patrick Ryals Date: Tue Feb 3, 2004 1:54pm Subject: RE: New Camcorders Put Tape on Notice Unfortunately for the vast majority of investigative/evidence related purposes of our industry - you can't afford to leave a $200 to $500 SD card lying around as "evidence". Until a non-tape alternative arrives that meets the low cost of tape - we're stuck with it. Sincerely, Patrick Ryals Nexus Investigations, Inc. LA CA#22920 Message: 1 Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 15:18:38 EST From: MACCFound@a... Subject: New Camcorders Put Tape on Notice New Camcorders Put Tape on Notice By Daniel Greenberg Special to The Washington Post Sunday, February 1, 2004; Page F07 If videotape is not quite dead yet, it sure feels antique: We no longer mess with loops of tape to listen to music or watch movies, so why do we have to bother with it to make them? Manufacturers, however, are finally catching up to the times. Two new, absurdly small camcorders, Panasonic's D-Snap SV-AV100 and the Fisher FVD-C1 CameraCorder, can untie you from tape, instead using postage-stamp-size SD Cards to record video. The tiny memory cards allow these camcorders to weigh only six ounces each and fit neatly into a hand, purse or pocket -- unobtrusive enough to feel like a spy camera, and far smaller than even the most compact DVD-R camcorder, until now the only way to go tapeless. And the speed of flash memory means both models can upload movies to a computer far faster than any tape-based camcorder. The price for such portability and convenience? About a thousand dollars, and then some. The Fisher camcorder runs $900, the Panasonic $1,000. Each includes a capacious 512-megabyte SD Card -- but even that won't hold more than 30 minutes of video at close-to-DVD quality settings (640 by 480 video at 30 frames per second). If you opt for the Panasonic's 704-by-480 higher-quality mode, your recording time drops to just 10 minutes. You can switch to lower-quality settings -- for example, 320 by 240 pixels, on par with VHS, and 176 by 144, closer to Web video -- but they look grainy in comparison. Just buying a bigger card isn't quite practical yet; only one vendor, SanDisk, even makes a one-gigabyte SD Card, and it's only available at "select retailers" for a list price of $500. If you can discipline your use -- or if you don't mind carrying around a holsterful of 512GB SD Cards -- what do you get with each gadget? Both exhibit the same basic design, with flip-up color LCD screens that can be pivoted into a variety of useful and flexible positions. (The Panasonic's display is larger, but not as sharp.) Both camcorders have optical zoom lenses, but the Panasonic's works faster and goes further -- 10x to the Fisher's 5.8x zoom. Both come with small remote controls, USB 2.0 cables (not the usual FireWire connection) for fast file transfers, rechargeable batteries and docking cradles for easy recharging and picture transfer. Enthusiasts will find a variety of manual settings to play with, such as white balance and manual focus. The Fisher wins the overall ergonomic competition with its more comfortable shape and a sensible button layout that puts all the essential controls right under the thumb. The Panasonic camcorder feels more cluttered -- the all-important navigation cursor is hidden under the flip-out LCD screen and arranged at an odd angle. Fisher also beats Panasonic with its software bundle, which includes Ulead's PhotoExplorer 8 and VideoStudio 7. Panasonic's basic MediaStage software was good only for organization, not editing. And the company's installer routine shows such signs of sloppiness as poorly translated prompts ("Do you make the shortcut of Media Stage in the desktop computer?") and driver software that hadn't passed Microsoft compatibility testing. Both of these camcorders can double as digital still cameras, but only the Fisher includes a flash and a choice of resolutions -- two and three megapixel modes in addition to the appallingly low 640-by-480 resolution the Panasonic is stuck at. It also lets you shoot a still photo while filming, a very convenient option in practice. These two cameras are more notable for what they suggest about the future than what they can do now. Imagine, in particular, if you could combine the Panasonic's higher-quality video modes with the Fisher's ease of use. And if the results didn't cost double or triple the going rate for a tape-based digital camcorder. Until then, digital videotape such as MiniDV, for all its bulk, weight and overall inconvenience, remains the affordable, practical solution. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ======================================================== TSCM-L Technical Security Mailing List "In a multitude of counselors there is strength" To subscribe to the TSCM-L mailing list visit: http://www.yahoogroups.com/community/TSCM-L It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of Star Bucks that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shaking, the shaking is a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. =================================================== TSKS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TSCM-L/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: TSCM-L-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8210 From: savanted1 Date: Fri Feb 6, 2004 2:05pm Subject: Justice Department asks FCC to address VoIP wiretapping In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), written on behalf of the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the US Justice Department, FBI Deputy General Counsel Patrick W. Kelley urges federal communications regulators to delay setting rules for Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems until law enforcement and national security concerns can be addressed. Law enforcement agencies worry that it may be difficult to place wiretaps on VoIP systems in the same way as surveillance is possible for 'regular' telephones. VoIP allows voice calls to be placed digitally over broadband Internet connections. Communications companies would like the FCC to clarify VoIP rules. Opponents of regulation fear that measures to allow monitoring of conversations would be costly, could stifle innovation and jeopardize privacy. http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/editorial/7884914 .htm 8211 From: Date: Sat Feb 7, 2004 0:33am Subject: Ears added to electronic eyes to secure Athens Olympics Ears added to electronic eyes to secure Athens Olympics Microphones that will listen to street noise during the Olympic Games are being added to surveillance cameras around the city to improve security, Greece's public order minister said Thursday. "If there is an explosion, we must be able to hear sound in real time. We can't wait for someone to make a phone call," Giorgos Floridis said. The decision could add to protests against a giant surveillance system being installed around the capital. Several public demonstrations against Olympic security are being planned for this month. In January, the mayor of an Athens suburb hosting the Olympic weightlifting event ordered municipal works to spray paint three cameras after residents complained about their right to privacy. During the Olympics, stationary cameras around Athens will operate from 1,250 concrete columns 12 meters tall. Hundreds of cameras will also be installed at venues and other points around the city in addition to surveillance equipment on helicopters and a blimp. Floridis insisted cameras will be vital for security during the Aug. 13-29 Games and flatly denied that the cone-shaped microphones will be used to monitor conversations or broadcast instructions to bystanders. http://english.eastday.com/epublish/gb/paper1/1170/class000100002 /hwz180541.htm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8212 From: Spook Date: Sat Feb 7, 2004 5:27pm Subject: More Bomb Technician/EOD Ultrasonic Stethoscopes for Sale I have two more 2047 U/C Ultrasonic Stethoscopes for sale. These are primarily use by bomb technicians and EOD specialists, and are commonly used to detect certain types of low level sounds emitted by clock mechanisms, timing devices, and so on. These are also very useful in finding hidden tape recorders and video recorders as it allows the TSCM specialist to listen to the ultrasonic noise which is otherwise inaudible to the human ear. The first unit I am offering is used, but in excellent condition with both the contact microphone, and the ultrasonic probes. Also it included the under-the-chin headphones, and leather case and everything is in almost as new condition. I an asking $800 dollars for this first unit. The second unit is also in good condition, but does not include the ultrasonic probe, or the leather case. This second unit is in used condition, but has not been abused in anyway and is fully operational and includes the contact microphone. I am asking $500 for this second unit. You can read about this model at: http://www.tscm.com/mlk2047.html I can take all major credit cards, but the equipment is only being offered for sale in the US, and will only be shipped to a US address. Please email if your interested. -jma 8213 From: James M. Atkinson Date: Sun Feb 8, 2004 2:29am Subject: Re: More Bomb Technician/EOD Ultrasonic Stethoscopes for Sale Oops, I also forgot to mention that I also accept funds via PayPal under the user name of "jmatk@tscm.com"(of course if you just feel like sending donations you can use the same PayPal account -jma At 06:27 PM 2/7/2004, Spook wrote: >I have two more 2047 U/C Ultrasonic Stethoscopes for sale. These are >primarily use by bomb technicians and EOD specialists, and are commonly >used to detect certain types of low level sounds emitted by clock >mechanisms, timing devices, and so on. These are also very useful in >finding hidden tape recorders and video recorders as it allows the TSCM >specialist to listen to the ultrasonic noise which is otherwise inaudible >to the human ear. > >The first unit I am offering is used, but in excellent condition with both >the contact microphone, and the ultrasonic probes. Also it included the >under-the-chin headphones, and leather case and everything is in almost as >new condition. I an asking $800 dollars for this first unit. > >The second unit is also in good condition, but does not include the >ultrasonic probe, or the leather case. This second unit is in used >condition, but has not been abused in anyway and is fully operational and >includes the contact microphone. I am asking $500 for this second unit. > >You can read about this model at: http://www.tscm.com/mlk2047.html > > I can take all major credit cards, but the equipment is only being >offered for sale in the US, and will only be shipped to a US address. > >Please email if your interested. > >-jma > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Expertly Hunt Real Spies, Real Eavesdroppers, and Real Wiretappers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 381-9111 Granite Island Group Fax: 127 Eastern Avenue #291 Web: http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 Email: mailto:jmatk@tscm.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Class, Professional, Ethical, and Competent Bug Sweeps, and Wiretap Detection using Sophisticated Laboratory Grade Test Equipment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8214 From: Date: Sun Feb 8, 2004 3:40am Subject: Probe taps city, piece by piece Posted on Sun, Feb. 08, 2004 Probe taps city, piece by piece By Emilie Lounsberry and Nancy Phillips Inquirer Staff Writers Follow the bugs. First, the FBI tapped the phones of a Muslim cleric and businessman operating out of a rundown building in Mount Airy. Then, they tapped the phone at the plush Center City office of ĂĽber-lawyer Ronald A. White, a wealthy power broker obscure to the public but well-known to the politicians who coveted his campaign cash. Next, federal authorities tapped the city's treasurer, an eager young acolyte of White's who helped dole out lucrative city bond work. Finally came the big leap: a bug in the mayor's office. In textbook fashion, federal investigators have taken ever bolder steps as they ratchet up their investigation into municipal corruption in Philadelphia. They have mounted what Mayor Street recently described as a "wider and wider-range probe, kind of all over the place." By the time the bug was pulled out of the ceiling of the mayor's office four months ago, the FBI already had reams of evidence: spools of tape from at least eight phone taps and three office bugs, for starters. Now, federal authorities are nearing the final phase before indictments. Prosecutors are reviewing tapes, calling witnesses before the grand jury, and squeezing anyone they believe committed a crime. Their message: Cooperate, turn on others, or risk a long prison sentence. Textbook. As the investigation unfolds, voters cynical about City Hall have had plenty of cause to grow more so. What has come to light amid the flood of subpoenas - at least six city agencies, two members of the mayor's staff, and more than 50 firms have been hit - is not savory. Money managers paid a cool $1 million for "introductions" to the pension board. Airport concessions granted to "disadvantaged" entrepreneurs rolling in money. Contracts renewed despite warnings that no work was being done. Debt collectors, developers, airport bars and newsstands, construction companies, money managers, banks, printers, law firms, consultants, investment houses, car-rental firms - all have come under FBI scrutiny. While the probe has awakened public attention to Philadelphia's entrenched pay-to-play tradition, federal authorities also are pursuing something much more clear-cut and unambiguously illegal: extortion, mail fraud, wire fraud and racketeering. Investigators have seized computers and confiscated e-mail. They have taken the mayor's BlackBerry handheld devices. They have subpoenaed his financial records from Commerce Bank, along with those of his wife and his son. And they have combed through his campaign-finance reports. But the most extraordinary move - the placement of the bug inside the mayor's office - yielded nothing. No conversations were recorded during the two weeks the bug was in place, according to federal documents. The mayor has said he has done nothing wrong. FBI and IRS agents are following the flow of money that drives city business in an investigation that has spanned more than two years. Although all kinds of city contracts are under review, it is clear that the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office have been examining the city's affirmative-action agenda. The picture is not pretty. Programs to give a leg up, a city contract, to the disenfranchised have been manipulated to help the wealthy or well-connected, or both. The losers have been the hundreds of struggling minority firms with no political juice. Predictably, perhaps, this has stirred a backlash. Resentment at the probe helped fuel Street's reelection. African Americans are not the only ones wondering why the the murky linkage between city contracts and campaign contributions was suddenly being scrutinized when blacks began benefiting from it. In time, transcripts of conversations secretly recorded by the FBI will provide a clearer picture of what may be a municipal corruption investigation of unprecedented scope in Philadelphia. Indictments are on the way, court system sources say. "They really want to take it to City Hall," said one lawyer with knowledge of the investigation. "A lot will depend on what they have on tape." In City Hall, meanwhile, a gallows humor prevails. One joke making the rounds among Street aides: What do we call the time when we fielded questions about a Molotov cocktail tossed at the office of the mayor's opponent? The good old days. • Who is on the tapes? Who is cooperating? How far up will it go? Politicians, business people and the public are bracing for the answers to those questions. The answers will likely have much to do with two men: Ronald A. White and Imam Shamsud-din Ali, a pair with some striking differences and similarities. White, 54, is big. He carries perhaps 250 pounds on his short, strong frame. He is ebullient, a lover of the good life. Ali, 64, is the spiritual one. He is slender and soft-spoken. Both have made much of themselves from tough beginnings. White grew up in the Richard Allen Homes projects, fatherless, but went on to earn a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Ali, born Clarence Fowler, spent five years in prison in the 1970s on a murder conviction before the courts overturned the case. He is now one of the city's leading Muslim clerics. The two are friends; White represented Ali in his 1992 divorce. The pair have something more in common. They have been important political allies of Mayor Street's. And they have been cut in on city business. When it comes to that, White has been far the more successful. A lawyer who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for two political-action committees, White has been paid more than $1.6 million since 1996 for legal work for the city, its employee pension fund, and other agencies. White has a connection to virtually every area investigators are known to be scrutinizing. At the Philadelphia Housing Authority, where federal investigators have requested records of about 30 individuals and companies, White has done legal work and bond work. At the city Redevelopment Authority, where records also are being sought, White helped represent the authority on all but one of its bond issues from November 2000 through June 2003. At Philadelphia International Airport, federal prosecutors have subpoenaed records of two companies owned by White's wife that have shares in several newsstands and restaurants. Nine days after the discovery of the bug in the mayor's office, FBI agents seized more than 50 boxes of documents from White's Center City office, including boxes with markings that read: PHA, Tasker Homes and Bonds 2002. In city political circles, White was viewed as an unofficial member of Street's administration whose support was vital to people who wanted to do business with the city. "Every prize that could be gotten, you had to go through White," said one person familiar with some aspects of the investigation. White and his lawyer, Creed C. Black Jr., have declined to talk about the ongoing inquiry. Ali, meanwhile, is a longtime supporter of the mayor's who has rallied support for him in the Muslim community. He also emerged quickly as a focus of investigators. The day after the investigation burst into public view with the discovery of the bug, the FBI raided the office of Ali's debt-collection firm, Keystone Information & Financial Services. They also raided his Cheltenham Township home and the offices of his accountant. Federal investigators are scrutinizing a no-bid contract under which Keystone was to collect delinquent city taxes. The firm was paid a $60,000 commission to collect a massive delinquent debt owed by a Chestnut Hill firm that reached a settlement with the city. Investigators also are examining Keystone's role as a partner in a contract to manage the wireless telephone system at Philadelphia International Airport. And federal authorities are investigating Sister Clara Muhammad School, where Ali is director, for allegedly failing to provide adult-literacy classes and GED courses after being paid to do so under a contract with Community College of Philadelphia. Federal investigators have subpoenaed documents related to a charter school that Ali's wife, Faridah, wanted to open on Sister Clara's West Philadelphia campus. Ali and his lawyer, Tariq El-Shabazz, have declined to comment on the investigation. Federal investigators and prosecutors aren't talking. Strict grand-jury secrecy rules prevent them from saying what has unfolded behind the closed doors of the federal courtroom, where they have been sketching the early outlines of their case. Several City Hall staffers have been called before the panel, including the mayor's chief of staff, Joyce Wilkerson, and John Christmas, a deputy chief of staff. Lawyers familiar with parts of the investigation, meanwhile, say they are struck by the wide use of electronic surveillance in the case. The listening devices were in place for months at a time, capturing conversations that could provide key evidence for prosecutors. While the wiretaps were operating, the mayor and others in his office placed at least 21 calls to White's office and cell phone, according to city phone records obtained by The Inquirer. Of those, eight calls were made on Street's phone line. All were brief, lasting no longer than five minutes. The phone records examined by The Inquirer covered the time from June of last year until October, when the bug was discovered in the ceiling above the mayor's desk at City Hall. The taps on White's phones were in place from January of last year until October. With at least eight wiretaps and three bugs, the inquiry marks the most extensive use of electronic surveillance in Philadelphia since the Abscam scandal of the 1980s. "I don't think you get this number of wiretaps approved without some very persuasive evidence," former U.S. Attorney David Marston said. "Anytime you have a major federal investigation into big-city corruption, it's a very serious time for that city." Contact staff writer Emilie Lounsberry at 215-854-4828 or elounsberry@p... or Nancy Phillips at 215-854-2254 or nphillips@p.... Inquirer staff writers Angela Couloumbis, Cynthia Burton, Joseph Tanfani and Marcia Gelbart contributed to this article. © 2004 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.philly.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8215 From: Date: Sun Feb 8, 2004 3:44am Subject: Taped threat to Street aide reported Posted on Sat, Feb. 07, 2004 Taped threat to Street aide reported The FBI warned George R. Burrell about allegedly menacing words from Imam Shamsud-din Ali, sources say. By Leonard N. Fleming Inquirer Staff Writer Imam Shamsud-din Ali, a longtime supporter of Mayor Street, was picked up on FBI wiretaps making threats about top mayoral aide George R. Burrell and another man who is not a city official, several sources with knowledge of the investigation say. The FBI warned Burrell, the city's secretary of external affairs and a onetime mayoral candidate, that Ali was heard saying to an unidentified person that Burrell should watch himself because Ali believed that Burrell had been talking with federal investigators, sources say. There has been no indication that Burrell has assumed the role of a cooperating witness with the federal government in its widespread investigation of alleged municipal corruption in City Hall that came into public view and scrutiny with the Oct. 7 discovery of a bug hidden in the ceiling of the mayor's office. The agents warned Burrell and the other man last year, several weeks after the bug was found, the sources said. Tariq El-Shabazz, Ali's attorney, strongly denied that his client had threatened anyone. Ali, 64, a leader of Philadelphia's largest mosque, has been identified as a focus of the investigation. Federal agents raided Ali's home and business, Keystone Information & Financial Services, the day after the listening device was found. Federal authorities began intercepting calls from Ali's office phone in July 2001. Officials later tapped his cellular and home phones. The taps ceased in 2002. FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi yesterday declined to say whether agents contacted Burrell, but she did say it was standard policy to contact someone who has been threatened. Burrell declined to comment. He holds a key role in the administration, serving as Street's liaison with other politicians, and makes decisions about who gets city contracts. Barbara A. Grant, the mayor's spokeswoman, also declined comment. El-Shabazz said he was not privy to the federal government wiretaps because his client had not been charged with anything. "Our position is and has been, and always will be, that there has been no threat to George Burrell or anyone else," he said. Known in recent years as a gentle, politically astute cleric and influential leader, Ali was once named Clarence Fowler and was believed to be a leader of the Black Mafia. In 1970, he was convicted of killing a North Philadelphia minister. After he served 51/2 years in prison, Ali's conviction was overturned by the state Supreme Court in 1976. Contact staff writer Leonard N. Fleming at 215-854-4330 or lfleming@p.... Inquirer staff writer Emilie Lounsberry contributed to this article. © 2004 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.philly.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8216 From: James M. Atkinson Date: Tue Feb 10, 2004 2:42am Subject: Receiver Page being updated I am in the process of updating the pages I have concerning TSCM receivers, and radios, etc that is helpful to our profession. Please feel free to send me your thoughts on which radios should be listed, commentary on each, observations, etc. It is going to be a really, really awesome page. Please let me know your thoughts. -jma ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Expertly Hunt Real Spies, Real Eavesdroppers, and Real Wiretappers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 381-9111 Granite Island Group Fax: 127 Eastern Avenue #291 Web: http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 Email: mailto:jmatk@tscm.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Class, Professional, Ethical, and Competent Bug Sweeps, and Wiretap Detection using Sophisticated Laboratory Grade Test Equipment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8217 From: James M. Atkinson Date: Tue Feb 10, 2004 3:12pm Subject: Canberra and Jakarta deny embassy bugs Canberra and Jakarta deny embassy bugs By Mark Baker, Herald Correspondent in Nusa Dua, Bali February 5, 2004 Indonesian and Australian officials yesterday hosed down claims Australia's spy agencies had been caught bugging the Indonesian embassy in Canberra. Allegations that listening devices had been found in the embassy threatened to overshadow a regional anti-terrorism conference in Bali discussing intelligence sharing. But claims by several Indonesian MPs, backed by an intelligence official in Jakarta, that electronic bugs had been found in both the embassy chancery and ambassador's residence, drew strong rebuttals. The allegations were published in Jakarta newspapers yesterday, including Koran Tempo, which ran a front page story and cartoon showing a kangaroo with a stethoscope outside an embassy door. "There was a microphone inside the alarm in the meeting room of the embassy. That is an act of bugging," MP Djoko Susilo told the paper after he and several other legislators met Major-General Nachrowi Ramli, head of the Indonesian agency which controls official communications codes. The general was quoted as saying that he believed Australia was spying on the embassy, but that in 20 years Indonesia's diplomatic codes had never been broken. "Bugging is normal . . . because strategic information can certainly be detected by the host countries," he told the Jakarta Post. Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa confirmed yesterday that a team of security experts had been sent to Canberra last year to investigate "suspicions that our communications system was being compromised" by embassy security equipment installed by the Australian Federal Police in the wake of the Bali bombings. He said investigators found the problem was created by "criss-crossing" frequencies between the embassy's communications and Canberra television transmitters. This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/02/04/1075853939461.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Expertly Hunt Real Spies, Real Eavesdroppers, and Real Wiretappers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- James M. Atkinson Phone: (978) 381-9111 Granite Island Group Fax: 127 Eastern Avenue #291 Web: http://www.tscm.com/ Gloucester, MA 01931-8008 Email: mailto:jmatk@tscm.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- World Class, Professional, Ethical, and Competent Bug Sweeps, and Wiretap Detection using Sophisticated Laboratory Grade Test Equipment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8218 From: Date: Wed Feb 11, 2004 5:49am Subject: office swept -- for listening devices, at a cost of $16,500. Fawell fixed contract, feds charge February 11, 2004 BY STEVE WARMBIR, TIM NOVAK AND DAVE NEWBART Staff Reporters Scott Fawell, a former top aide to George Ryan, could feel the breath of federal investigators on his neck, so he decided to do a little cleaning and redecorating at his government office at Navy Pier. Fawell had his office and others swept -- for listening devices, at a cost of $16,500. He rented out a special spy clock for his office for $400 a month, one that could alert him if a visitor was wearing a bug and working for the FBI. That's what prosecutors alleged Tuesday in new indictments. Even as the investigation swirled around him, Fawell still put the fix in on a $11.5 million public contract for a consulting firm that was a client of his close pal Al Ronan, the powerhouse Chicago lobbyist, federal prosecutors alleged Tuesday in a fresh indictment of Fawell, a onetime political golden boy. Fawell, 46, is already serving a 61/2 year prison sentence at Yankton, S.D., for political corruption while he worked as a top aide to Ryan, first when Ryan was secretary of state, then when he was governor. Now, Fawell could see his prison time increase substantially for the contract he allegedly fixed while heading McPier, the city-state agency that runs Navy Pier and McCormick Place. Fawell's former boss, Ryan, faces political corruption charges, while Fawell's onetime girlfriend and aide at McPier, Alexandra Coutretsis, began cooperating extensively with federal investigators after getting slapped with perjury charges. Fawell's friend Ronan, while not indicted Tuesday, seems clearly in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors. They charged Ronan's lobbying firm, Ronan Potts LLC, with taking part in the fixed contract at McPier. Also charged in the case by prosecutors Patrick Collins and Scott Levine was Ronan's onetime top aide, Julie Starsiak, 56, of Chicago, a former vice president at the firm. She lied to investigators, prosecutors allege. Ronan was not referred to by name in the indictment by prosecutors but was called "Fawell Associate 1. "Ronan allegedly paid for meals, golf, entertainment and vacations for Fawell while Fawell ran McPier, the indictment alleges. Ronan also is accused of chipping in for Fawell's legal defense fund. Fawell, in turn, had McPier hire people referred by Ronan. McPier also awarded contracts to Ronan clients at Fawell's request, the feds allege. Fawell used McPier money to pay for rooms at the McCormick Place Hyatt for himself, Ronan and Coutretsis. From another favored McPier vendor, Fawell allegedly got a satellite dish at his home, plus free installation. By charging Ronan's firm criminally, federal prosecutors have effectively crippled it, lobbying experts said. Since 1997, Ronan Potts has given at least $295,000 to dozens of Illinois politicians. Ronan, a former state lawmaker, was considered a top money-raiser for Gov. Blagojevich and is close to the governor's budget director John Filan. An attorney for Ronan's firm, James Cutrone, shifted the blame Tuesday to former employee Starsiak, who left the firm last year to start her own. "The fault lies here in the hands exclusively with Ms. Starsiak," Cutrone said. "It does not extend beyond her to other employees of the firm. "The charges center on a prime contract bid out in 2001 for a consulting firm to manage an $800 million expansion of McCormick Place. Seven teams bid on the contract. At first, Fawell allegedly cut a deal with another consulting firm in which he would get a job after he left McPier, among other benefits, for steering the contract the firm's way. But that deal fell apart when the heat from the ongoing federal investigation of Fawell got too hot. Instead, Fawell allegedly decided to help his friend Ronan and Ronan's client, Jacobs Facilities Inc., based in St. Louis. With Fawell's approval, his aide Coutretsis passed along inside information on the consulting contract to Starsiak, who funneled it to two officials at Jacobs, prosecutors say. The former Jacobs employees, James Nagel, 41, of Glen Ellyn, and Elizabeth Koski, 35, of Elmhurst have been charged in the case. McPier sources said they expected the agency's board to fire Jacobs. The consulting firm has been paid $2.66 million so far. A Jacobs spokeswoman declined to comment Tuesday on the charges but said the firm has cooperated with federal investigators. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8219 From: Robert Dyk Date: Wed Feb 11, 2004 9:21pm Subject: Surveillance Periscope (Vehicle mounted) This item was just listed for any active surveillance types out there... Surveillance Periscope http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3077869038 Thanks for your time, Robert Dyk robert@w... Worldwide Security Ltd. Mississauga, Ontario Canada This e-mail is confidential and may contain privileged information. If you are not the addressee it may be unlawful for you to read, copy, distribute, disclose or otherwise use the information in this e-mail. If you are not the intended recipient please notify us immediately. 8220 From: Date: Wed Feb 11, 2004 7:05pm Subject: Defense objects to use of GPS technology to follow Scott Peterson Defense objects to use of GPS technology to follow Scott Peterson 06:33 PM PST on Wednesday, February 11, 2004 By KIM CURTIS / The Associated Press REDWOOD CITY - Scott Peterson's defense lawyer pressed a prosecution expert Wednesday to concede that satellite technology used to track the murder suspect before his arrest was error prone and effectively useless. A judge must decide whether to accept evidence gathered from global positioning system devices that police secretly put on vehicles Peterson drove in the weeks after his pregnant wife's disappearance. The GPS technology has yet to be qualified as acceptable evidence in a criminal trial in California. The hearing that began Wednesday will determine whether the Peterson case changes that. Modesto police used GPS to track Peterson last year from early January through late April, when he was arrested near San Diego days after the bodies of his wife, Laci, and unborn son surfaced in San Francisco Bay. Defense lawyer Mark Geragos wants a judge to prohibit all GPS-related evidence at Peterson's double-murder trial. Police installed the devices in vehicles Scott Peterson owned, borrowed and rented after Laci Peterson disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002 electronic surveillance that trailed him to San Francisco Bay at least once in January. Bound by gag orders, neither side has discussed what evidence would be lost or gained from information the tracking devices gathered. Because GPS technology has yet to be tested in California's criminal courts, prosecutors first must establish its reliability using qualified experts and then demonstrate the technology was used correctly. Only then can GPS-related evidence be introduced at trial. That process began Wednesday when Judge Alfred A. Delucchi heard the testimony of prosecution expert Peter Van Wyck Loomis, whose Silicon Valley company made the GPS technology in the device that followed Peterson. During the hearing, Geragos seized on instances when the GPS devices appeared to fail, including once when it showed Peterson taking an impossible route. That error lasted for several minutes before the device corrected itself. Geragos pressed Loomis to say the devices were unreliable because of how police hid them on Peterson's vehicles. Loomis rejected those claims, saying the devices were accurate though he did say that Modesto police had used older, less expensive models. "It's accepted commercial technology," Loomis told Geragos. The military developed the satellite-based radio navigation system, which can pinpoint a user's location within feet at any time, in all weather, anywhere in the world. The decades-old technology is now used by everyone from airline pilots to wildlife management officials, and weekend hikers to Sunday drivers. Geragos pressed Loomis, who said he had little experience with the devices used in this case. Loomis said he had seen a photograph of one of them but had never used it himself, tested it or seen evidence of testing. Geragos said Modesto police had tested their own devices, and they failed an assertion prosecutor David Harris denied. The GPS hearing will likely continue next Tuesday, when Geragos may call his own expert to question how police used the devices to track Peterson. Also Wednesday, Laci Peterson's family spoke to the media. Her stepfather, Ron Grantski, said the family has discussed how they should be celebrating the first birthday of the Petersons' unborn son, Conner, whose due date was Feb. 10 of last year. "We shouldn't be going to court," Grantski said. "I should be teasing Laci about Conner keeping her up." Also Wednesday, prosecutors filed their opposition to Geragos's request to sequester jurors and to have separate juries for the trial and penalty phases of the case. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8221 From: Robert Dyk Date: Thu Feb 12, 2004 6:41am Subject: Surveillance Periscope This item was just listed for any active surveillance types out there... Surveillance Periscope http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3077869038 Thanks for your time, Robert Dyk robert@w... Worldwide Security Ltd. Mississauga, Ontario Canada This e-mail is confidential and may contain privileged information. If you are not the addressee it may be unlawful for you to read, copy, distribute, disclose or otherwise use the information in this e-mail. If you are not the intended recipient please notify us immediately. 8222 From: Date: Thu Feb 12, 2004 11:24am Subject: Smart Software Gives Surveillance Eyes a 'Brain' Smart Software Gives Surveillance Eyes a 'Brain' Date: Thursday, February 12 @ 15:26:03 EST Topic: Computers and Electronics In these days of heightened security and precautions, surveillance cameras watching over us as we cross darkened parking lots or looking over our shoulders at airports may seem reassuring, but they're only of use if someone is watching them. Researchers have found a way to give these cameras a rudimentary brain to keep an eye out, and the research is already been licensed to a New York company with an aim toward homeland security. From the University of Rochester: Smart Software Gives Surveillance Eyes a 'Brain' In these days of heightened security and precautions, surveillance cameras watching over us as we cross darkened parking lots or looking over our shoulders at airports may seem reassuring, but they're only of use if someone is watching them. Researchers at the University of Rochester's computer science laboratories have found a way to give these cameras a rudimentary brain to keep an eye out for us, and the research is already been licensed to a Rochester company with an aim toward homeland security. "Compared to paying a human, computer time is cheap and getting cheaper," says Randal Nelson, associate professor of computer science and creator of the software "brain". "If we can get intelligent machines to stand in for people in observation tasks, we can achieve knowledge about our environment that would otherwise be unaffordable." Far from being an electronic "Big Brother," the software would only focus on things for which it was trained to look—like a gun in an airport, or the absence of a piece of equipment in a lab. Nelson has even created a prototype system that helps a person find things around the house, such as where reading glasses were left. Nelson set about experimenting with how to differentiate various objects in a simple black-and-white video image like that used in a typical surveillance camera. The software initially looks for changes that happen within the image, such as someone placing a cola can on a desk. The change in the image is immediately highlighted as the software begins trying to figure out if the change in the image is a new object in the scene, or the absence of an object that was there before. Using numerous methods, such as matching up background lines that were broken when the new object was set in front of them, the prototype system is accurate most of the time. It then takes an inventory of all the colors of the object so that an operator can ask the software to "zoom in on that red thing" and the software will comply, even though the soda can in question may be red and silver and overlaid with shadows. The next step, however, is where Nelson's software really shines. Nelson has been working for years on ways to get a computer to recognize an object on sight. He began this line of research over a decade ago as he wrote software to help a robot "shop"—picking out a single item, like a box of cereal, from several similar items. One of the tasks he recently gave his students was to set up a game where teams tried to "steal" objects from one another's table while the tables were monitored by smart cameras. The students would find new ways to defeat the software, and consequently develop new upgrades to the system so it couldn't be fooled again. Though a six-month-old baby can distinguish different objects from different angles, getting a computer to do it is a Herculean task of processing, and more complicated still is identifying a simple object in a complicated natural setting like a room bustling with activity. Unlike the baby, the software needs to be told a lot about an object before it's able to discern it. Depending on how complex an object is, the software may need anywhere from one to 100 photos of the object from different angles. Something very simple, like a piece of paper, can be "grasped" by the program with a single picture; a soda can may take half a dozen, while a complex object like an ornate lamp may need many photographs taken from different angles to capture all its facets. With those images in mind, the software matches the new object it sees with its database of object to determine what the new object is. The technology for this 'smart camera' has already been licensed to the local company PL E-Communications, LLC., which has plans to develop the technology to control video cameras for security applications. For instance, CEO Paul Simpson is looking into using linked cameras covering a wide area to exchange information about certain objects, be they suspicious packages in an airport or a suspicious truck driving through a city under military control. Even unmanned aerial reconnaissance drones like the Predator that made headlines during the current Iraqi war can use the technology to keep an eye on an area for days at a time, noting when and where objects move. "We're hoping to make this technology do things that were long thought impossible—making things more secure without the need to have a human operator on hand every second." says Simpson. Nelson and PL E-Communications were connected through the Center for Electronic Imaging Systems (CEIS), a NYSTAR-sponsored Center for Advanced Technology (CATs) devoted to promoting economic development in the greater Rochester region and New York State. CEIS develops and transfers technology from local universities to industry for commercialization, and by educating the next generation of leaders in the fields of electronic imaging and microelectronics design. This article comes from Science Blog http://www.scienceblog.com/community The URL for this story is: http://www.scienceblog.com/community/modules.php?name=News&file=article& sid=2306 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] 8223 From: Date: Thu Feb 12, 2004 9:09am Subject: Re: Digest Number 1487 Hello SOCIETY What about this topic ? 1. Quote of the Month: Interpreting God's Intentions --------------------------------------------------- "Both speeches had the quality of sermons. Both leaders invoked God, and neither had any doubt about whose side God was on. And both interpreted God's intentions." -- Brian Michael Jenkins, RAND terrorism expert, writing in a Los Angeles Times commentary that compared recent speeches by President Bush and Osama bin Laden >> http://www.rand.org/rnbrd/commentary/020104LAT.html Sincerely Martin KO CIA N ----- Připojte se přes RazDva a vyberte si jednu z nových cen v Bonus Clubu. Více na http://club.razdva.cz.