Counter Surveillance Techniques

If you have ever felt like you were being watched, the unfortunate reality is that you probably were. Surveillance is a gift and curse of modern technology. The movie "Enemy of the State" is a fantastic portrayal of how a person can be tracked almost every second of the day. When you leave your home, you may be monitored at your workplace, at the store you stop to pick up grocery or at the gas station. Technologies like, CCTV, networking, digital software and computers have made these intrusions possible.

When we realize the extent to which people are constantly monitored, our first reaction is indignation. However, till there are better laws in place to protect the privacy of an individual, the best course of action is to arm oneself with counter surveillance techniques and gadgets. Counter surveillance measures refer to all those actions that are taken to combat any type of surveillance.

A primary counter surveillance technique is called bug sweeping, where a certain area, such as a room, is checked for surveillance devices, which may be covert listening devices and/or visual surveillance devices. A majority of the bugs (surveillance devices) give off some form of electromagnetic radiation, usually radio waves. The usual method employed is to "sweep" for these bugs with a detector device that recognizes radio emissions. Even though this method is not foolproof, it is the most frequently employed, and is usually conducted by professionals, whose charges are often very high. A cheaper option are low tech sweeping devices, which can be bought through amateur electrical magazines, or a person may even construct their own after getting hold of circuit designs from the internet. Sweeping does not always work, as some hi-tech bugs can be controlled from a different location to switch on and off, and are even advanced enough to change frequencies several times.

Tapping phone lines is another popular surveillance technique. This can be dealt with, by using devices to detect legal and illegal wiretapping, that may be anywhere on the local telephone line. Some devices can even detect, if the point of tapping is the telephone company's central exchange. These devices can be used on other lines of communication as well, such as fax and computer dial-up communications, to detect tapping. Another piece of equipment we have seen, used in several movies, is a device that jams listening devices, and keeps your conversations private. The technology these jammers use is to generate a random masking sound, which desensitizes any near-by microphone, and prevents it from picking up the conversation. Jammers are usually effective against any microphone based eavesdropping device, as well as microwave or laser reflection pickups. The only disadvantage of this technology is that the person carrying out the surveillance knows that you are aware of being monitored. This gives them a chance to become more aggressive with their techniques or beat a hasty retreat. Among the other counter surveillance, devices available are, gadgets that can be used to locate wireless or wired hidden cameras. For example, one such device uses two high-power alternately pulsating lasers to scan for camera lenses up to 50 ft. away. The hidden camera is seen as a bright flashing red light through the optical glass view port.

These are just some of the many counter surveillance devices that are available. Estimates say that the average person caught on camera is 300 times everyday. So, if you think you are being eyed, go ahead and use these gadgets to confirm you suspicions, or consult a professional.