Your Privacy is at Risk!

The Spy Next Door: Private Surveillance Has Never Been Easier

Do you feel like your personal information is being freely thrown around at your expense?  Not only can the government  spy on you, surveillance hardware and software are just a purchase away. These spying tools have never been more accessible or affordable than they are now.  Understanding how your privacy is at risk can help you gain control of your life.

What's more, the legal regulations dealing with privacy are unpolished and lacking in clarity. In other words,

"There's never been a better time to be the spy next door." -TechNewsDaily

To purchase the necessary spying gear isn't that hard. All you need is money!

Spy-goers can purchase cameras disguised as dictionaries, alarm clocks, house plants, desk lamps, teddy bears and sunglasses, from the range of $95-$300.

We're talking about going all James Bond status with the purchase of a few gadgets.

A License to Spy

The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. The wording of the Amendment is geared specifically towards the government, it does not apply to private citizens performing these acts.

Cindy Southworth, vice president of development and innovation at the National Network to End Domestic Violence, says that domestic surveillance becomes illegal when it becomes systemic.

"If you walk by once and hear something versus if you walk by every day for a year, that's a very difference. It's what differentiates domestic violence and stalking from other things. It's a pattern of behavior."

Aaron's Law

Legislation that would make it more difficult for the government to prosecute people for violating an online company's terms of service was introduced on June 20th, 2013 by U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.).

The bill is called Aaron's Law. This is in remembrance of the activist Aaron Swartz. If passed, this law would modify the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the law makes unauthorized use of computers or digital technology a federal offense. This bill would remove noted redundancies in the CFAA at which point a person can be charged multiple times for the same crime.

Swartz  was charged in 2011 for allegedly using Massachusetts Institute of Technology servers to download a total of 4 million academic journal articles from JSTOR, a digital library that offers subscription-based access.

 Please visit http://www.hyphenet.com/blog/ for more blog posts on the latest technology and IT security news.

References:

[via: technewsdaily]

Jillian Scharr, TechNewsDaily Staff Writer
Published June 20, 2013
http://www.technewsdaily.com/18402-spy-next-door.html?cmpid=527305

http://www.technewsdaily.com/18404-aarons-law-hacking.html?cmpid=527305



Don’t miss out on the latest tech news and computer security alerts! Follow us on Twitter at @hyphenet,  “Like” us on Facebook or add us to your circle on Google+