spying
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DocuPen X hits earth for all your pen scanner needs
Thinking maybe you can't live another day without finally breaking down and purchasing a pen scanner? We can sympathize. There are plenty on the market, but the newly hatched DocuPen X Series is mildly more interesting than most out there. They've managed to cram 64MB of memory, Bluetooth, a tiny OLED screen and a lithium ion battery all in that tiny package, and if you're the sunflower seed-eating, alien-hunting type, you probably want one of these for scanning your files at up to 600 dots per inch. DocuPen's teensy X Series scanners start at $370.
Earthrise developers seeking community input on alts
Earthrise is an indy-developed science fiction MMO on the way from Masthead Studios in Bulgaria. The developers have stated that Earthrise will be a sandbox game, with a large part of the player experience based on what guilds try to accomplish in the post-apocalyptic setting of Enterra. Given this emphasis on player-driven content, Masthead Studios has been running a Community Consensus over the past few weeks where the devs seek input from Earthrise fans on various aspects of the game's design. Today Masthead Studios wants to hear what the community thinks about alts. In most MMOs having extra character slots is expected, but alt play in a sandbox game where players will engage in espionage could get out of hand. Would the ability to easily for any player to create a cell of spy alts unbalance the game, or should there be a tight limit on character slots per account?
Hints of espionage in Earthrise
One of the interesting things that happens when you create a sandbox MMO where players can establish political systems, even empires, is that factions of those players will form and work against their opposition. In some cases, this is through large scale PvP campaigns. But another, more subtle aspect to warfare between guilds is espionage, should the game developer allow it. Fortunately for Earthrise players, Masthead Studios won't just allow espionage in their post-apocalyptic game -- they encourage it. Espionage is the focus of the latest Question of the Week asked by a member of the Earthrise community. It seems that spying will be an important aspect of conflicts between guilds, but so will visits to other guild territories for trade runs. Masthead Studios implies that there will be a pass system used to allow non-guild members access to a guild's territory: "Even though one might expect only allies and friends to the guild would be allowed to visit using a pass system, it is possible for clever spies of enemy guilds to find a way to sneak in and report to their headquarters about the development of enemy bases."
Etisalat BlackBerry update was indeed spyware, RIM provides a solution
Um, yikes? An unexpected (and unwanted) surprise struck some 145,000 BlackBerry users in the UAE this time last week, when an official looking prompt coerced many of the aforesaid Etisalat customers to follow through with a software update. Rather than bringing about performance enhancements, the SS8-built app enabled the carrier to keep tabs on customers' messages. According to RIM: "Etisalat appears to have distributed a telecommunications surveillance application... independent sources have concluded that it is possible that the installed software could then enable unauthorized access to private or confidential information stored on the user's smartphone. Independent sources have concluded that the Etisalat update is not designed to improve performance of your BlackBerry Handheld, but rather to send received messages back to a central server." Like we said, yikes. The zaniest part is that Etisalat isn't backing down, still assuring the world that the upgrades were "required for service enhancements." At any rate, RIM has made remarkably clear that the update wasn't one authorized by the company, and it's even providing an app remover for those who'd prefer their BlackBerry to be in working order and, you know, not forwarding all their email to some dude in an Etisalat supply closet. Good on you, RIM. Bad on you, Etisalat.[Thanks, Gerald]Read - Confirmation of spywareRead - RIM app remover
Ask Engadget: What's the best GPS tracker for under $300?
Think fast! You've just stumbled upon this week's episode of Ask Engadget, and just like those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books from yesteryear, you've a few choices here. One is to leave like a coward; another is to really dig in and contribute; and another is to drop some knowledge and send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com. While you ponder which route is best for you, here's Matthew's plea: "There are so many GPS trackers on the market today to choose from. I'm just looking for basic monitoring abilities and decent battery life, and of course I want one that's as small and discrete as possible. Which is the best one for less than $300?" No need to confess in comments what you use your own tracker for (trust us, we could narrow it down on our own), but do tell if you've found a winner. Bonus points if your module has landed your scandalous SO on a recent episode of Cheaters.
Video: UK Home Secretary delays 1984 by a few years
The UK Home Secretary (whatever that is) has put the kibosh on plans for a giant government database that would track all of the country's emails, phone calls and internet activity. But not so fast, civil libertarians! According to the Telegraph, the onus will merely shift to the private sector -- with telecoms and Internet providers being required to retain the data, at a cost of around £2 billion (over $2.9 billion US). According to the plan, every Internet user will be given a unique ID code that the government can use to access the data in the event of a threat -- whether terrorist, criminal, or extraterrestrial. It just goes to show you how lucky Britons are to have a government that cares so much about their well being. Video after the break.
Thanko's own necktie doubles as spy camera, naturally
A necktie from Thanko -- you could tell this thing was only fit for a double agent already, couldn't you? Freshly introduced and ready to draw attention to your poor taste, this here spy tie includes a built-in video recorder along with a minuscule handheld remote used to turn it on and off. The video camera itself is installed on a USB-equipped slab of flash memory (4GB, or about four hours of low resolution footage), making those tie-to-PC transfers extra snappy. And at ¥12,800 ($128), it comes off as a bona fide steal compared to less useful alternatives in Bloomingdale's. Our only lingering question? What's a brother got to do to get a clip on version?[Via AkihabaraNews]
Simple keystroke sniffing schemes work where keyloggers won't
Ah, the wonders of CanSecWest. The famed security conference has delivered yet again in 2009, this time bringing to light two simple sniffing schemes that could be used to decipher typed text when keyloggers are just too noticeable. Gurus from Inverse Path were on hand to explain the approaches, one of which involved around $80 of off-the-shelf gear. In short, curious individuals could point a laser on the reflective surface of a laptop between 50 feet and 100 feet away, and then by using a "handmade laser microphone device and a photo diode to measure the vibrations, software for analyzing the spectrograms of frequencies from different keystrokes, as well as technology to apply the data to a dictionary," words could be pretty easily guessed. The second method taps into power grid signals passed along from PS/2 keyboard outputs, and by using a digital oscilloscope and an analog-digital converter, those in the know can pick out tweets from afar. Check the read link for more, and make sure you close those blinds and pick up a USB keyboard, pronto.[Via Slashdot]
Mobile Spy software / service keeps track of iPhone shenanigans
Worried that some less-than-becoming activities are occurring on your son / daughter / SO's iPhone? Rather than just approaching them directly, Retina-X Studios' Mobile Spy can now be installed on Apple's handsets. Put simply, the software / service combo enables the account administrator to "implant an undetectable rat inside the iPhone; it then squeals to a server, which is accessible via the web." Mobile Spy logs SMS messages, inbound / outbound calls and call durations, and it does so for just $100 per year. Then again, we'd prefer to handle things the old fashioned, more medieval way, but to each his / her own.
DARPA contract shines light on real-time video spying initiatives
Only the ignorant and the uninformed would assume that DARPA has never, ever dabbled in any kind of surveillance that wasn't questionable on some level, but a recent contract awarded to Kitware gives us a better idea of just how deep the rabbit hole has gotten. The $6.7 million deal seeks to create a system whereby DARPA can "monitor live video feeds and search large volumes of archived video data for activities of interest," with the point being to match up similar events from past and present in order to prevent an attack, foreshadow a certain event or discover some sort of terrorist trademark. As of now, we're simply informed of the video spying in areas of Iraq and Afghanistan, but given that the capabilities are already here, it could be enacted wherever the government could place a camera-toting manned or unmanned aerial vehicle. Look up and give the friendly skies a wave, won't you? Just don't do anything "suspicious."[Via Slashdot, image courtesy of PointNiner]
EVE's spies and metagamers
EVE Online is one of the few MMOs where players in guilds (corporations and alliances) have some valid concerns about spies from rival groups infiltrating their ranks. The concept of being a spy or saboteur is a profession of sorts that arose in the game. There aren't any game mechanics that necessarily enable spying or make it into a viable profession, nor are there any rules that prohibit most of these activities. Wes from EVE Tribune recently wrote a piece called "Metagaming", dealing with how espionage can impact rival corporations and alliances in EVE. Wes asks, "Why is everyone so paranoid about spies and metagaming?" then goes on to explain how espionage in EVE works, categorizing spies by their modus operandi:
WowWee's Rovio gets reviewed: it's one awesome robotic sentry
WowWee goes out of its way to make one thing very clear about the Rovio: "this is not a toy." That being said, it doesn't make the patrolling sentry any less fantastic, as critics over at Robots-Dreams proclaimed that it was "intuitive and a pleasure to use from the moment you first open the box." From the painless setup process to the unparalleled mobility, reviewers sounded like they were grinning from ear-to-ear during the entire writeup process. It performed its robotic sentry duties with vigor and valor, and the review crew couldn't help but note that this bugger was "positioned to be the hottest robot for the upcoming holiday season, and for a long time to come." In other words, if you've been on the fence about dropping three bills on this thing, all your worries about it potentially sucking just got thrashed.
Erector's $300 Spykee gets a ship date: October 15th
We're not even going to front -- we had all but forgotten about Erector's Spykee. Granted, it didn't do itself any favors by showing off at CES and then doing nothing for the next seven months, but we digress. If a pre-order page on Amazon is to be believed, the Spykee Spy Robot should be released on October 15th. It's sporting a hefty $299.99 price tag and a recommended age of 8-years and up, but we'll need to see some actual shipment notifications later this fall before we really get our hopes up. C'mon Erector, don't let us, um, down.[Via I4U News]
D-Link's Internet Surveillance kit lets you see two rooms over
Okay, let's get this straight. If D-Link is marketing its new $499.95 Internet Surveillance Starter Kit (and $399.95 Expansion Kit, for the hardcore snoopers) as a method for spying on someone residing within your domicile (save for your infant), you probably need a family counselor -- not a gimmicky IP camera. Now, if D-Link is hoping to tickle the fancy of geeks who'd rather check out a room in low resolution rather than taking four or five steps down the hall, we're pretty terrified about the fate of humanity. Still, the weird(est) part about this thing is the D-Life website which it ties into. Video of your home piped through someone else's servers -- need we say more?[Via eHomeUpgrade]
Olympus announces 360-degree CCD sensor prototype, surveillance firms drool
Around this time last year, we got wind of CCD-based projectors and cameras from Olympus that were outfitted with a curious "axial symmetrical free curved surface lens." Now, said company is finally providing a few details about its current prototype, which essentially enables 360-degree photographs to be taken. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on perspective), the sensor isn't quite ready to be pushed out into the world, but as you can certainly imagine, it'll likely make a B-line for surveillance outfits just as soon as it's ready.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Vintage Mr. Microphone hacked into spy device
We've seen the viewfinder of a VHS camcorder hacked into a night-vision headset, but this just might be even more retro than that. For those old seasoned enough to remember Ronco's Mr. Microphone, you may recall just how boring it became after a few short minutes of use. If you somehow managed to not discard the thing over the years, we've found the perfect use for it: a discrete spying device. Essentially, DIYers can strip the innards out, re-solder a few pieces and shove the resulting tidbits into an unassuming air freshener. From there, just tune to whatever open frequency you can find and you've got yourself a wireless eavesdropping tool like no other. Video after the break.
PBS: Bill Moyers Journal on Project Reynard
It shouldn't be a shock that governments are interested in MMOs and virtual worlds. We hear that they even pay attention to the film industry, television, DVDs and other such new-fangled technological industries that turn over many millions of dollars and involve significant percentages of the population. The US Government's Project Reynard is a different breed of fox, however. The idea seems fairly simple on the face of it. Convince MMO and virtual world operators to open up their systems for complete surveillance and then try to establish 'normal behavior patterns' and see if it is then possible to determine 'suspicious behavior patterns'. Yes, this is technically unconstitutional (like all those warrantless wiretaps you may read about in the news), but as we've seen, a simple Executive Order signed by the Chief seems to be sufficient to brush that trifling obstacle aside. PBS' Bill Moyers Journal takes a look at the whole issue, and gives a refreshingly non-sensationalist look at Activision-Blizzard's World of Warcraft and Linden Lab's Second Life, in this rather sobering feature. [Via WoW Insider]
PBS covers the government's intrusion into online worlds
This clip, from PBS' Bill Moyers Journal, is notable for a number of reasons. First of all, I'm fairly sure this is the most balanced, objective look at MMORPGs I've ever seen in mass media -- they talk about both Second Life and World of Warcraft, but there isn't a single mention of addiction or cluelessness or any of the other stuff mass media throws at us.And it's also a good look at what was behind all the hubbub about the government searching for terrorists in WoW -- in truth, the fact that the government is interested in online communities isn't that huge a deal (who isn't interested in MMOs?), but the fact that they're doing it with the justification of terrorism is a much more disturbing discovery. And this piece then goes into the larger problems with this lately -- that the government is dipping into all kinds of supposedly private communications outlets with this lame justification of searching for terrorists.Nice piece, but especially so because of that very even look at our favorite past time. If only all reporters were so objective.
RIM allows Indian government to monitor Blackberry network
Well, it took longer than 15 days to reach a resolution, but apparently RIM is going to back down and allow the Indian government to monitor the Blackberry network in that country. What's worse, it appears that RIM was more interested in covering its own ass than protecting user data during the negotiations: the only concession the company received from the Indian government was a promise that it won't be held liable if there's a leak of users' personal information. Yeah, that ought to provide a sparkling incentive to keep things safe. There's no word on when monitoring might begin, but we've got a feeling privacy-loving Indians might suddenly be in the market for a new smartphone.[Thanks, Rishab J.]
UK planning to monitor and record every phone call, web page, and email sent by citizens
We're not sure if these plans will ever make it to reality, but the Telegraph is reporting that Britain's Home Office is working on database designed to store the details of every phone call, email, and web page accessed by British citizens in the previous year. The idea is to have various telecom providers hand over their records, which will all go into the database and then be accessible by police upon receipt of a court order. Of course, there's no reason why police couldn't simply ask the ISPs for the appropriate data when they get that court order, since records are already required to be kept for a year, but sometimes it's important for a government to build a massive scary database of personal information with endless potential for abuse by embittered low-level bureaucrats, you know? The plan is still in draft stages, so hopefully it dies on the table -- and if not, well, the NSA welcomes you with open arms, British expats.[Via National Terror Alert]
