• Their brothers' keepers: Spy satellites spy on each other

    If you thought spy satellites in the sky only look down at what is going on on Earth, think again; the United States admits two covert inspection satellites got real close to a failed geostationary satellite to see what was wrong with it; experts worry this is the beginning of anti-satellite arms race

  • India to see a large, broad growth in expenditures on domestic security

    A series of terrorist attacks, culminating in the coordinated attack in Mumbai last month, convinced both government and industry in India that more security — much more security — is required to cope with mounting threats to domestic peace; business opportunities abound for companies in IT security, biometric, surveillance, detection, situational awareness, and more

  • Researchers develop silent UAVs

    UAVs are used more and more in surveillance and operational roles on the battlefield — and by the police; the larger UAVs are very noisy, announcing their presence and allowing the adversary to hide or escape; Georgia Institute of Technology researchers work on equipping UAVs with a “whisper” mode

  • ScanEagle offers and example of dual-use technology

    Initially developed to track dolphins and tuna from fishing boats in order to ensure “dolphin-safe” tuna in supermarkets, the ScanEagle UAV system has evolved into a mainstay with the U.S. Navy — and others as well

  • Obama administration to support telco immunity over domestic spying

    Eric Holder, nominee for attorney general, says the incoming Obama administration will support congressional legislation immunizing U.S. telecommunication companies from lawsuits about their participation in the Bush administration’s domestic spy program

  • U.K. military employs hovering droids in Afghanistan

    Hovering petrol-powered prowler patrols to check Afghan ambush alleys so soldiers do not have to; device may be used by law enforcement in urban areas — and future systems may carry weapons

  • U.K. Home Office denies remote snooping plan

    There have been discussions among EU ministers about giving police more authority to snoop on crime and terror suspects remotely, but the legal framework to do so is yet be created; what is more, techies says it cannot be done

  • Not yet ready for prime time: RFID technology

    RFID technology is incorporated into more and more documents (e-passports, enhanced driver’s licenses); trouble is, the technology still suffers from privacy and security vulnerabilities

  • NORAD continues tradition of tracking Santa Claus

    The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is using twenty-first century gear to track Santa Claus: Streaming video, Santa Cams, Google Maps, and Google Earth (and Google Analytics, to watch the watchers)

  • SwissCopter in $15 million Middle East deal

    Swiss developer of manned and unmanned systems for surveillance and search-and-rescue — and the innovative software these systems use — receives an order from an “unnamed Middle Eastern government”

  • Israel-made UAVs gain popularity among world's armies

    Israeli-made Heron UAVs will be introduced to the Afghani theater by the Canadian military; Turkey, India, and Georgia have struck deals for various Israeli UAVs; Russia was impressed with the UAV performance (in Georgian hands) during the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war, that the Russian military is buying them

  • New surveillance system identifies suspicious, lost people

    New surveillance software will attempt to recognize whether a person on the street is acting suspiciously or appears to be lost; intelligent video cameras will be connected to large video screens and geo-referencing software to help law enforcement and security agencies

  • Northrop Grumman unveils the X-47B

    The large UAV — it has a 62-ft. wingspan and weighs around 45,000 pounds at takeoff — is the U.S. military’s principal vanguard for a potential new age of stealthy, autonomous combat aircraft

  • The Blackwater example: Private security booming

    The war on terror has been a boon for private security companies; Blackwater is one of the more obvious success stories; the company is expanding its menu of offerings: it is wrapping up work on its own armored vehicle, the Grizzly, as well as its Polar Airship 400, a surveillance blimp

  • UAV to patrol U.S. northern border in January

    The first UAV is expected to begin patrolling the U.S.-Canada border in January