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Belgian police employ blind officers to analyze wiretap recordings
As wiretapping of potential criminal and terrorist-related activity in Belgium grows, so is the need of the Belgian police for individuals with acute and sensitive hearing to analyze wiretaps; police found that some blind individuals have that extra sensitivity to sounds which allows them better to analyze wiretaps
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Coast Guard to beef up Arctic mission
As global warming melts the ice around the Northern Pole, neighboring nations are eager to stake a claim to the heretofore frozen region’s natural reaches; the melting will also allow a route for ships from Europe to Asia which is 4,000 miles shorter than the route through the Panama Canal; the U.S. Cost Guard wants to keep an eye on all this
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Questions raised about effectiveness of terror watch-list
There are now about 755,000 names on the U.S. terror watch list; since 2004, about 200,000 names have been added to the list each year; legislators, security experts say it has become unwieldy
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Canada to use UAVs to patrol the arctic circle
Canada plans on buying a fleet of UAV to patrol the arctic ice and water; move but the latest sign of countries bordering the arctic claiming stake to portions of it
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All users of Toronto transit system to be photographed
By June 2008, every person using Toronto’s transit system — there are 1.5 million of them daily — will be photographed; 12,000 minicameras are being installed on every bus, streetcar, subway car, and at each station
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A drone able to carry out a long range flight of more than ten hours
South Korean researchrs build a UAV which uses hydrogen fuel cell to stay a loft for more than ten hours; drone relies on sodium borohydride rather than compressed hydrogen gas
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House passes 911 bill
Bill facilitates migration from today’s 911 system to a IP-based 911 system to enable the public to access 911 from anywhere, anytime, and from any device
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DARPA works on equipping insects with reconnaissance gear
DARPA hopes cyborg insects with embedded microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) will run remotely controlled reconnaissance missions for the military and law enforcement
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Army researchers develop IED-detecting radar
Researchers at the Army Research Lab develop new low-frequency, ultra-wideband radar which detects IEDs, senses through walls, and supports robotic ground vehicles
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Live demonstration of satellite-based intelligence surveillance
Two companies join hands in live demonstration of satellite-based intelligence surveillance system; system sutiable for monitoring remote, difficult-to-access locations
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DHS in massive collection data on the travel habits of Americans
DHS collects electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive, or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the individuals with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried
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U.K. researchers to develop new communication signals analysis
The extreme risks and rapid time frames associated with terrorist activities make it difficult to gather evidence that might prevent an attack or lead to successful prosecution; analyzing communication signals with with forensic psychology techniques should help
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UAV sets duration world record
QinetiQ’s Zephyr uses solar power to fly for 54 hours while carrying a surveillance payload
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Mumbai police install tracking software in city's cyber cafes
Mumbai is India’s hi-tech hub, and the city police will now have access to new software monitoring activity in the more than 500 cyber cafes in the city
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California Senate limits RFID use
SB 362 would prohibit any person from forcing any other person to undergo an implant in their body of an RFID device
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The long view
How DHS Laid the Groundwork for More Intelligence Abuse
I&A, the lead intelligence unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) —long plagued by politicized targeting, permissive rules, and a toxic culture —has undergone a transformation over the last two years. Spencer Reynolds writes that this effort falls short. “Ultimately, Congress must rein in I&A,” he adds.