PI Newswire

The future is here and this is not a butterfly on your wall, as Israeli drones are getting tiny. Their latest project – a butterfly-shaped drone weighing just 20 grams – the smallest in its range so far – can gather intelligence inside buildings.

The new miniscule surveillance device can take color pictures and is capable of a vertical take-off and hover flight, just like a helicopter, reports the daily Israel Hayom. Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) says this may come in handy in ground clashes, when a soldier would merely take it out of a pocket and send behind the enemy’s line.

The insect-drone, with its 0.15-gram camera and memory card, is managed remotely with a special helmet. Putting on the helmet, you find yourself in the “butterfly’s cockpit” and virtually see what the butterfly sees – in real time.

Structures under observation can be anything from train stations or airport terminals – or office buildings – to battlefields and even forests in, say, southern Lebanon, where Israel believes Hezbollah hides its ambush squads.

The virtually noiseless “butterfly” flaps its four wings 14 times per second. Almost translucent, it looks like an overgrown moth, but is still smaller than some natural butterflies.

Read more…

After suffering a massive amount of embarrassment over the leak of classified and sensitive diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks – allegedly at the hands of an insider – the Army wants to use keylogging software with additional abilities, to prevent another Cablegate scale data breach.

Maj. Gen. Steven Smith, chief of the Army Cyber Directorate, told the Army Times, that they would soon be shopping for software that would be pre-programmed to detect abnormal behavior, as well as examine web searches, downloads, and keystrokes.

When asked to explain, Smith told the news agency how he expected the software to work using an example that mirrors the actions said to have been taken by PFC Bradley Manning.

“So I’m on the South American desk, doing intelligence work and all of a sudden I start going around to China, let’s say,” Smith said.

“That might be an anomaly, it might be justified, but I would sure like to know that and let someone make a decision, almost at the speed of thought.”

Read more…

We are all aware of the the recent US Supreme Court ruling regarding the use of GPS by law enforcement.  And from that time we have wondered what impact this might have on our profession and private use.  Well, here is an update that addresses just that — and it doesn’t look good.  As noted in this message, members from NCISS at the recent Hit the Hill in Washington DC presented these concerns, in advance of these hearings, to our elected officials.  Please see below for a very important update from NCISS Legislative Chair, Jimmie Mesis and be prepared to communicate with your own elected representatives on how this could negatively impact your business and how you serve and protect your clients (to use a phrase that only law enforcement feels entitled to).

Committee Examines Use of GPS
The House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security held a hearing today on HR 2168, the “Geolocational Privacy and Surveillance Act”.  The legislation would essentially ban the private use of GPS devices.  It would permit the use of technology that reveals an individual’s location for law enforcement if police had obtained a warrant.

Virtually all of the discussion during the hearing dealt with the bill’s effect on the police ability to obtain the location of individuals.  Witnesses from the Federal Law Enforcement Association and National District Attorneys Association expressed concern that the warrant provision made it too difficult for police to obtain information in many instances.  A great deal of focus was on the ability to obtain location information through cellular phone records.

A witness from the Computer & Communications Industry Association supported the restrictive legislation.  His concern was to minimize any privacy concerns by cell phone users.  The American Civil Liberties witness strongly supported the legislation

NCISS is strongly opposed to HR 2168 because it would deny private investigators the ability to use GPS tracking devices.  Our opposition was most recently made clear during the annual “Hit the Hill” meetings with Congress.  Similar legislation is pending in the Senate, S 1212.

Congressional interest in the issue follows a recent US Supreme Court decision, US v. Jones, which ruled that police must obtain a warrant prior to attaching a GPS unit to an automobile.

The NCISS Legislative Committee will continue to monitor the progress of all GPS tracking related legislation and keep the profession apprised of our efforts to maintain our usage of GPS devices for lawful purposes.

Keeping the profession informed,
Jimmie Mesis, LPI
NCISS Legislative Chairman
jim@nciss.org     

Larry Sabbath
Legislative Advocate
lsabbath@lobbyist4u.com

NCISS
7501 Sparrows Point Boulevard
Baltimore, Maryland 21219-1927
T-(800) 445-8408  F-(410) 388-9746

(Permission granted to repost this message)

The National Council of Investigation and Security Services, Inc., is a cooperative effort of those companies and associations responsible for providing private security and investigation services to the legal profession, business community, government and the public. Each day we find an increasing number of problems confronting the orderly growth of our profession. These problems include, among others: overly restrictive legislation regarding training and standards, proliferation of legislation requiring local licensing, public misunderstanding and misinformation on the role and contribution of private investigators and security services, and an uninformed media. It is the role of NCISS to meet and solve these problems while seeking to uncover and recommend action on any hidden potential problems which may have an effect on our profession.

View source…

A close look at city spending shows over the years the city of Albuquerque has paid millions of dollars for private investigators who spend much of their time tracking city employees suspected of wrongdoing.

City Chief Administrative Officer Rob Perry calls it a necessary expense.

“There’s a whole slew of different investigative jobs and responsibility that they do,” Perry told KRQE News 13.

Because the city is self-insured, more than half of the work for private investigators involves handling tort claims–lawsuits claiming damage or injury by the city–and workers-compensation investigations for the city’s Risk Management Division and the City Attorney’s Office.

Another part of their job includes investigating internal allegations of employee misconduct.

PIs contract for City Hall sleuthing: krqe.com

Read more…

Two Hialeah employees are off the job, accused of shopping and running errands while on the clock.

“This is simply people failing to do their job and stealing from citizens,” said Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez.

The mayor said he hired a private investigator to follow Carlos Rodriguez and Maritza Martinez around town. He said he would have had a Hialeah police officer investigate the case but he feared the two employees would recognize the officer.

Rodriguez and Martinez are accused of going shopping, taking long breaks and even going home. According to the mayor, all of that personal business happened while they were supposed to be working at the city’s water and sewer department.

Rodriguez and Martinez both say politics are behind their firing. Rodriguez told NBC 6 that any city employee who supported Raul Martinez’s run for mayor has been fired.

Read more…

Strong demand in BRIC nations will push the market up

Worldwide market for video surveillance equipment will grow more than 12% in 2012 despite the weak and uncertain economic environment, according to IMS Research.

Western Europe, however, is projected to be the biggest drag factor that may impact global market growth for video surveillance in 2012, the report said.

IMS Research senior analyst and report author Gary Wong said the Eurozone debt crisis is expected to depress growth in Western Europe as austerity measures continue to be implemented and a lack of end-user confidence limits video surveillance equipment spend.

“Spain, Italy and Greece are forecast to be the three slowest growing European markets for video surveillance equipment in 2012,” Wong added.

Read more…

In a world where security cameras are nearly as ubiquitous as light fixtures, someone is always watching you.

But the watcher might not always be who you think it is.

Three of the most popular brands of closed-circuit surveillance cameras are sold with remote internet access enabled by default, and with weak password security — a classic recipe for security failure that could allow hackers to remotely tap into the video feeds, according to new research.

The cameras, used by banks, retailers, hotels, hospitals and corporations, are often configured insecurely — thanks to these manufacturer default settings, according to researcher Justin Cacak, senior security engineer at Gotham Digital Science. As a result, he says, attackers can seize control of the systems to view live footage, archived footage or control the direction and zoom of cameras that are adjustable.

“You can essentially view these devices from anywhere in the world,” Cacak said, noting that he and his security team were able to remotely view footage showing security guards making rounds in facilities, “exceptionally interesting and explicit footage” from cameras placed in public elevators, as well as footage captured by one high-powered camera installed at a college campus, which had the ability to zoom directly into the windows of college dorm rooms.

Read more…

While investigating bomb threats, the FBI seized the server of a group known as May First/People Link (MF/PL) which offers encrypted data services to people fighting oppressive regimes.

The agents hung onto the server for four days in early April, then snuck in and hooked the server back up without a word of explanation.

MF/PL is worried that some code, perhaps spyware, was installed to attempt to track down communications.

According to coverage from MSNBC.com, FBI agents first came knocking on the door of MF/PL on April 11.

MF/PL defines itself on its website as “a politically progressive member-run and controlled organization that redefines the concept of ‘Internet Service Provider’ in a collective and collaborative way.”

Read more…

Victoria Police have confirmed they are investigating the use of unmanned drones to help fight crime.

Police say the technology could make their jobs safer but civil libertarians fear drones could lead to grave invasions of people’s privacy.

Police will not specify what roles drones would have in the force, but it is believed they could be used in surveillance and during car chases.

In a written statement, Victoria Police described the technology as rapidly evolving and said anything that could provide more effective and safer policing is worth assessing.

Law enforcement agencies in the US are set to begin using drones from tomorrow and Victoria’s Police Airwing recently hosted a conference to examine their potential.

Read more…

When the Olympic bandwagon rolls into the UK, the eyes of the world will focus on the Olympic Park in east London. But as up to 4 billion people tune in to watch the world’s best athletes, Dan Brown’s team will have a very different focus.

Hidden away in a warren of underground passages below Piccadilly Circus, they will be monitoring 47 flickering and changing screens – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – in one of the most extensive CCTV operations the UK has seen.

“The Olympics is going to be a massive challenge for us,” says Brown, the manager of Westminster’s CCTV control centre. “We are expecting a million extra people a day to come into Westminster during the Olympics – more than double the usual number – and that means a lot more potential problems.”

The system, run by Westminster council, has just had a £500,000 “Olympic revamp” and can now survey large parts of central London in high definition.

For civil liberty campaigners, it is a symbol of the UK’s burgeoning surveillance society. But for Brown, the new system, with its wireless cameras and high-quality images, is a key part of an Olympic security operation that will see tens of thousands of troops and private security guards working alongside police officers and the security services.

Read more…

TEN Port Adelaide Enfield Council staff have been sacked over the past five years as a result of probes by private investigators.

A Messenger News investigation has found the council spent $73,347 on private investigators since February 2007 – more than any other metropolitan council.

A council spokesman refused to provide details on the individual cases, citing privacy reasons, only saying the probes related to “industrial relations” and “code of conduct breaches”.

The spokesman said the staff in question were never made aware they had been investigated. However, he said it “was at the time written into our workplace agreements that we may do it”.

Investigators were not used to probe elected members.

Read more...

Matthew Taylor walks down Regent Street in central London to test the new network of CCTV cameras put in place by Westminster council ahead of the Olympics.

The Olympic security operation will see tens of thousands of troops and private security guards working alongside police officers and the security services.

View source…