Surveillance equipment has been used by governments around the world during the cold war era, well into the past 40 years. When people thought of surveillance, they immediately thought of "James Bond" , Ian Flemings super secret British spy, who always had all the cool toys, like wireless "pen microphones", "the ice cube bug", and professional covert recording equipment, which could easily "tap" a villians telephone and record their dasterdly plan. Today with the Cold War gone, and the spread of democracy around the world, the technology of electronic surveillance devices has been revolutionized, and are easily purchased on the open market... According to news reports, the U.S. State Department estimates that $800 million worth of surveillance equipment is imported and installed in U.S. offices and homes each year. With the advent of the internet (the World Wide Web), and the fantastic miniaturization of electronics, this makes purchasing these "high-tech" electronic devices easy and yet affordable to the common average consumer.
In the United States, eavesdropping equipment has been declared illegal according to U.S. law (United States Code, Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 119 "WIRE AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS INTERCEPTION AND INTERCEPTION OF ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ACT") Sec 2511* since 1968. This law basically states that it is illegal to intentionally receive information from an unwarranted wiretap, or bugging device placed without the consent of the individual or party being monitored.
Unfortunately, although this law has been in effect for many years, still many people and corporations use high tech eavesdropping equipment, for personal, private or corporate gain. These high-tech surveillance devices are being imported everyday from foreign manufacturers. But not all equipment is designed specifically for breaking the law. The fine line between security and illegal surveillance equipment has been traditionally difficult to discern. The fact is that most security equipment is designed to be used to protect individuals and businesses from security threats and to provide evidence in the form of recordings or video tape, not to invade the privacy of individuals or corporations.
Understanding that these surveillance devices are real and exist and may be used by anyone, not just private detectives and law enforcement, brings the threat of "invasion of privacy" right into your own home or business. Mainly now, in the public eye, whether surveillance devices are used in a ethical or legal fashion, has been left up to the consumer...
Eavesdropping Statistics in the U.S.
The government places a careful eye on eavesdropping technology and it's availability. The common name for this scientific technology is called "Technical Surveillance". As mentioned above, certain types of security equipment could be used to eavesdrop and is statistically classified and documented as such, whether imported into the U.S. or built in country..
The U.S. Department of State* estimated an average of $500 million annually is expended on purchases of eavesdropping equipment used against private persons.The U.S. Department of State* also estimated an average of $300 million annually is expended on corporate eavesdropping devices. The average cost spent per month on eavesdropping for one corporate entity is $30000 - $50000.58% of this eavesdropping technology is purchased from outside the United States.It has been estimated by the U.S. Department of State* that illegal eavesdropping results in a loss of $8.2 billion a year for U.S. corporations.The U.S. Department of State* also estimated that a $2.2 billion dollar annual underground industry and economy of monitoring illegal eavesdropping surveillance devices exists.The average cost of a court approved law enforcement surveillance operation is $45,000.
