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January 27th, 2012
Americans have been openly expressing their fears of losing their privacy. Though we live in a democracy, many are fearful that we are progressing into a police-state. With the advancements of technology and the vague rules on how our information can be used, many feel their ability to maintain their privacy is being stripped away.
The Supreme Court has been considering our concerns. On January 23, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that law enforcement authorities do not generally have a right to attach a GPS tracking device to a suspect’s car without first obtaining a valid warrant. This case, United States v. Jones, is one of the most important Fourth Amendment tests in a decade. Unfortunately, the courts are behind in addressing the protection of privacy rights for our citizens in a rapid evolution of technological advancements.
Justice Samuel Alito recognized a point, in a concurrence joined by three other justices, that there are many more ways to perform surveillance without physically trespassing on private property. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in another concurring opinion, “the Fourth Amendment is not concerned only with trespassory intrusions on property.”
Justice Alito said the court should address how expectations of privacy affect whether warrants are required for remote surveillance using electronic methods that do not require the police to install equipment, such as GPS tracking of mobile telephones.
Justice Antonin Scalia wrote: “It is important to be clear about what occurred in this case: The Government physically occupied private property for the purpose of obtaining information. We have no doubt that such a physical intrusion would have been considered a ‘search’ within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment when it was adopted.”
OK, so we are clear on the laws regarding physical intrusion on one’s private property, but what about the other ways in which one’s privacy rights can be abused? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Cellular Surveillance, Electronic Countermeasures - Debugging, GPS Tracking, invasion of privacy, spying, video surveillance, warrentless tracking
Posted in "Hmm.", Abuse, Electronic Countermeasures - Debugging, GPS Technology, privacy, Technology, U-Spy Store, U-Spy Surveillance Equipment | No Comments »
January 26th, 2012
 Chicago is installing new street light called, ”Intellistreets.” They are a bit different from your average street lights. These lights also double as surveillance monitors. They can take pictures, monitor conversations, play music, direct traffic, and send emergency signals. Homeland Security applications are included in these lights and they are being installed in a few cities, including Chicago, Pittsburgh and Detroit – all funded by the government. The first installation of the system was launched in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Maybe we should call these lights ”Spying Street Lights.”
The system detects movement and if too much movement is detected, the police are notified.
Many citizens view this as an invasion of privacy, “creepy” and the feeling that Big Brother is watching. Others see the system as a way to keep their neighborhoods safer.
The system’s founder is Ron Harwood. He said he came up with the idea after 911 and Hurricane Katrina. Harwood is president of the company that manufactures these lights – Illuminating Concepts. In an interview with Fox News, Harwood said that if speakers are installed in the poles, authorities could speak to people to tell them what to do if there is an emergency. He also said that access to pictures/images would not be available to just anyone. He said that a police officer, city official or city employee would have to “ask” to retrieve an image from a pole and that image would be in the form of a “picture.” After Harwood’s development, he began discussions with Homeland Security.
I think we all know that law enforcement or investigators need more than a picture if they are analyzing a crime. It would seem you would need active surveillance to determine what took place during a crime. When people don’t feel they are being told everything, they aren’t going to trust the system. If the system is capable of surveillance and monitoring conversations, why would one believe that only a picture would be released to authorities? Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cameras, invasion of privacy, spying, Spying Street Lights, video surveillance
Posted in "Hmm.", Abuse, eavesdropping, hidden camera, Local News, National News, privacy, safety, Security, Technology, U-Spy Store | No Comments »
January 25th, 2012
 - T. Jimenez with Anita Alvarez – State’s Attorney
A federal jury has awarded $25 million to a man who sued the City of Chicago after spending 16 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit.
Attorneys for the plaintiff, Thaddeus “T.J.” Jimenez, say they believe the award made Tuesday is the largest ever by a U.S. jury in a wrongful conviction case.
“Sometimes the criminal justice system makes a mistake,” said Jon Loevy, one of Jimenez’s attorneys. “In this case, we proved that’s exactly what happened.”
Indeed the criminal justice system does make mistakes. Many people are behind bars for crimes they did not commit. I just watched a program where an imprisoned man could not get help through the regular channels. He hired a private investigator who eventually dug up the truth, which turned out to be a cover-up. The man was given another trial and he was found not guilty. He had spent about 20 years in prison.
Most wrongfully convicted people are not fortunate enough to be exonerated, let alone receive the type of reward Mr. Jimenez received. Of course, you can’t put a price tag on someone’s life. You can never give back what that person lost.
The jury, after sitting through a two-week trial at the Dirksen Federal Building, deliberated for about a day. Given how quickly the jury deliberated, the evidence must have been overwhelmingly in Jimenez’s favor. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: chicago crime, investigation, murder, police, wrongful conviction
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January 24th, 2012
 - Second of Two GPS Trackers Found on U.S. Citizen’s Car
Most of us really appreciate the benefits of GPS — unless it’s surreptitiously attached to our vehicle by the government. How would you know?
You wouldn’t. That’s, of course, the idea. Feds and police agencies investigating bad guys don’t want them to know they’re being tracked. But what if you’re not a bad guy? Could it still happen to you? Why would you even think to look when you are not a bad guy and just going about your daily life?
The U.S. Supreme Court just ruled that police must get a search warrant before placing GPS trackers on vehicles to track criminal suspects. Although this may prevent feds and police from being able to use GPS data as evidence in court, it won’t necessarily stop them from using this technology to gain leads in gathering other evidence – evidence they will not admit to obtaining via tracking people using GPS trackers placed on vehicles.
It still remains to be seen how the Supreme Court will rule on the use of GPS technology obtained via cell phone tracking. This is an outstanding issue at this time.
In their arguments for using GPS trackers on suspect’s cars, Justice Department attorney Michael Dreeben told the court that GPS devices are very helpful especially in the initial stages of an investigation, when GPS can do the monitoring work that might be otherwise be required of a team of officers. He also argued, that GPS is (now was) only one of many police tools that don’t (now do) require a warrant; others include going through a person’s trash or following a suspect 24/7.
Cases of surprised citizens finding government GPS units on their cars aren’t everyday occurrences, but they are happening.
An Egyptian-American college student filed suit against the FBI in March for secretly putting a GPS tracking device on his car. Yasir Afifi, a California native who said he had and has nothing to hide, said a mechanic doing an oil change on his car found the device between his car’s right rear wheel and exhaust. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Electronic Countermeasures - Debugging, GPS Trackers, invasion of privacy, police, spying, surveillance
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