Evolving Spycam Technology---Creepy!

Anyone interested should take a look at this-

http://insight.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,39020481,39254964,00.htm

It seems to me that when new technology is developed they never conform to the privacy standards of the older technology. There are tough laws on the books about recording (hardline) phone conversations and hidden listening devices. even intercoms (at least where I live) have to emit a loud distinctive beep every fifteen seconds so that they can not be left in the listening mode without people on the other end knowing.

But that doesn't stop you from installing a hidden camera with a microphone that can be viewed live anywhere in the world via the internet.

In a way, I consider this an attractive nuisance. We all know there is a fair number of noisy people in this world, who want to know everything about everyone else. Think if one of those people could be watching and recording everything you did? Creepy!


-HandsOff

 

The company I work for installed Casino like cams everywhere about a year ago.
Started off as a way to minitor the building after hours, then progressed to feeds into the bosses offices. Video goes accross the country to the corporate office where it is stored.
Besides the cams they installed a time clock and I had not punched a clock since 1979 dang it. Does anyone think corporate world sucks?

 

our guys were even worse. The installed hidden camaras everywhere. They had them that were disguised as smoke detectors and clocks (those are fairly common) then started getting more sophisticated cameras in electrical outlets. The slickest one that I came across was set on the instrument pannel of a piece of a large piece of equipment.on the panel was a tiny protruding red light, you know the type that are usually red or green or amber and indicate some condition. only underneith the red lense was not a bulb, or diode. it was a minurature camera that even had pan and tilt capability. So people sit right in front of this thing and never know its their. It's not easily visible behide the red lense. From what I saw, they usually started with a specific reason for installing a camera, but once it was there, it was never removed.

I tend to think that when you treat employees like they are the enemy...they will be.


-HandsOff

 

Hello,
I don't they use anything in my workplace.
But if they do, the moment I find out, I'll sue them and walk away.
Mrk

 

Has anyone done a risk assessment yet
[ sarcasm ] I hate all this corporate bull***t, why cant we be left alone to do what we are paid to do!!!

 

From the article I understand you are in favour of spying on employees. ??
We dont have any Computers at my place of employment, so the article about internet abuse at work is not really relevant to me.
I just hate all the management issues that go with every job nowadays, risk assessment just being an example, the longer we are involved in pushing bits of paper around the less time we are actually on the job we are supposed to be doing.

 

...Like having all employees go to a meeting about timecard fraud and accurately reporting what you are working on from minute to minute so we cannot be accused of overcharging the government (mainly) or the customer.

So they want accuracy? So they want the truth? You ask what will be the charge number for all the time it is going to take to fill out our timecards. Answer: You can't charge for that! Basically they are telling you to lie about the time you spend on your time card- which can easily be 2-3 hours a week. This in the very same meeting to warn us about timecard fraud. I think it's pretty funny.

------
About these camera's and their effectiveness. Anyone familiar with the old TV series, Perry Mason? Great show! Anyways, in a departure from reality, what always happened would be that the murderer would break down under the pressure of Perry's cross examination. For instance, "Okay, I killed him, but he laughed at me! Why did have to laugh [sob]...

Well, this is the same way these cameras are supposed to work. They see stuff on a tape the next day or something and then, basically, come to you and ask if you stole something. At this point you either break down and confess [as expected] or you just say, that was my personal belongings in that box [who can say different?]

I do not understand why, but the company is extremely gutless when it comes to forcing the issue, even in the most cut and dry cases. Example: An employee is seen on camera attempting to leave the building through one of the badge activated glass revolving doors.

(Background: The badge activates the door and it starts to turn at which time the employee jumps in and goes through. Only, if the door "thinks" you are stealing something, it abruptly stops and starts spinning backwards, herding you back into the bldg. it must be noted that the door thinks people are stealing about 20% of the time, and the strong develope the necessary technique of doing the double shuffle that allows you to get back into the building without your face hitting the glass---hee, hee, there are actually any number of nose prints on the glass by the end of the day!)

Okay, so we see on camera one employee trying to leave the building. He is pushed back inside. Employee, displaying very unemployee-like swift and sure response, kicks the door...hard...managing to shatter the glass (damn fine kick!) He proceeds to exit the building with no further delays.

Next day the employee is summoned to the underground dungeon of HR. Employee is shown the tape (a very sharp picture too, I must say). An explanation is asked for. The damned employee grunts, "Not me". The evil HR inquisitor then produces a compelling piece of evidence. A computer printout from the badge reading computer showing his name is on the badge being used at the same time that "Mr. X" was seen fighting for his freedom. Now, how could he explain that? With lightning speed the employee devises an answer, he grunts, "Not me". Well, confronted with such a compelling argument, HR was forced to back down, and the accused was permitted to return to work.

Still, there were some isolated big busts, that I suppose could be said to justify the opperation. The time the janitor was fired for stealing candy from the vending machine comes to mind.

Yeah, I am opposed to these cameras, especially the hidden ones. They are selectively used and selectively enforced, and entirely political. And as far as I can see, they are a big bluff.

-HandsOff

 

Hey, Ron -
This link points to an article on rogue applications on corporate networks. Was this the article you meant? - Not a bad article, BTW!

-HandsOff

 

Hi Ron-

My philosophy, as you probably know, is that nothing is off topic. I just didn't realize that you were also a practitioner! I am against spying on employees in general, but I would really think that companies could exert a little more control than they do. In our office there was concern that we would do things that would put our network at risk, but everyone was dying to have it. Once it was installed, almost immediately people were downloading wallpaper, setting up instant messages, playing games online, watching sports...I sat back and waited for the other shoe to drop. It never did. The people that I assumed would put a stop to it thought it was quite natural. So far as I know you can do anything on the computers now (not officially, of course) except pornography. That will get you fired!

-HandsOff