Posted by admin | Under Hidden Camera
Saturday Aug 8, 2009
By Jeff Monson
For easy set up of your home or business surveillance system, you can’t beat the convenience of a wireless hidden camera system.Having no wires visible adds to the covertness, and you save the hassle of running wires through walls, over ceilings, and under floors.A wireless camera consists of a camera with a transmitter and a separate receiver which attaches to your TV for real time monitoring or a recording device, be it a digital video recorder (DVR) or video cassette recorder (VCR). There are also models that, rather than having a transmitter and receiver, have a DVR built in, and usually records the covert video to a secure digital (SD) card (some models use micro SD).
To make it ‘hidden’, the camera is built into an existing everyday object that you would usually see in your home or business. Some popular items are wall clocks, alarm clocks, digital picture frames, lamps, plants, teddy bears, air purifiers and more.A wireless camera can be tailored to fit into your home or business, and since it looks natural being plugged in the wall there is no need to disguise the power cord.
Typical applications:
-“Nanny cameras” are becoming more and more popular in helping parents.You can keep an “eye” on your children while you’re away and they are under the care of a nanny or baby sitter. Now, if your child is injured you’ll know exactly what happened, and you’ll see exactly how your nanny treats your children!
-Is the cash register coming up short lately?Install a covert camera and find out what’s really going on!
-Going on a weeklong cruise and leaving the teenagers at home?Find out how they treated your home while you were away.
-Keep an eye on the repair man doing work in your home.
-Make sure your housekeeper is really doing her job.
-Keep an eye on your pets.
-Possibilities are endless.
The bottom line is that a quality wireless hidden camera is going to show you what the REAL story is when you are away.
Benefits of a wireless hidden camera system:
-Portability.It can be moved easily. You can even take it on vacation!Watch your children during the day and watch your front door at night. Move the receiver and watch from any room in the house!
-Evidence.A camera lens doesn’t lie!Most of the laws dealing with video recording privacy issues tend to allow covert recording and monitoring of video activity under most circumstances without notification of any of the parties involved.The footage is also admissible as evidence in a court of law in most cases.Did you know that the arrest rate for burglaries is 15%? Help raise that statistic.
Always check your local laws before purchasing and using covert video equipment.
For more information, check out our line of SecureShot and SleuthGear wireless cameras.
Posted by admin | Under Uncategorized
Friday Aug 28, 2009
Have you ever been in a situation where you wish you had an audio recording of a conversation? Have you ever been sitting in class wishing you could record your teacher or professor’s voice during a lecture? Now you can – even if you’re not allowed. There are several new covert digital spy voice recorders on the market. For this article, I’m going to discuss a few of my favorites. The USB flash drive digital spy voice recorder is a two-in-one flash drive and audio recording device. No matter your location, audio can be recorded clearly and discreetly. The 2GB model stores up to 40 hours of audio, and the unit can record up to 4 hours on a single charge. A must for any college student.
The 007 2GB Digital Voice Recorder Pen looks and functions just like an ordinary ballpoint pen, but has 2GB of storage for up to 80 hours of voice recording or up to 400 MP3 files – or a combination of both. It is perfect for recording interviews, meetings, personal notes, grocery lists, to do lists, or a personal diary…the applications are endless! For MP3 playback, simply plug in headphones. You can even store computer files on it like a flash drive as it becomes a separate drive on your computer when plugged into your computer’s USB port — Just drag and drop files.
The MP3/Voice Wrist Watch Digital Spy Voice Recorder is a very high quality fully functional men’s wrist watch with a built-in digital spy voice recorder/player. 256Mb flash memory records 9 full hours of voice via built-in microphone and/or dozens of MP3 music files. Ideal for recording notes on the go, dictation, or reminders. Listen to MP3 music files with included stereo earphones or on your computer using windows media player. Internal rechargeable battery records for 9 hours between charges. USB interface cable included for quick connection to your
computer. Ladies version also available.
My personal favorite is the PI Pen note taker. Not only a great writing ball point pen, but also a high quality, 7-hour digital digital audio recorder. Great for taking “in the field” notes both by writing and dictating. Also available with a USB 2.0 data transfer option with 7 hour and 14 hour versions.
A private place is defined as a location where a person expects to be safe from unauthorized surveillance.
The most video recordings in the United States are legal with or without consent; however, several laws do exist regarding “Invasion of Privacy,” which deals with the concept of expected privacy. This idea of “expected privacy” includes areas such as bathrooms, locker rooms, changing and dressing rooms, bedrooms, and other areas where a person may expect a certain level of personal privacy.
Most of the laws dealing with video recording privacy issues tend to allow covert recording and monitoring of video activity under most circumstances without notification of any of the parties involved, it is recommended that prior to use of a Hidden Camera, you consult with your local law enforcement or an attorney who is knowledgeable in the area. This insures that despite a general understanding of the law, you are in fact complying with all local and federal regulations prior to utilization of video surveillance or monitoring.
The laws in thirteen states expressly prohibit the unauthorized installation or use of cameras in “private” places. These states include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Utah. In these states, the installation or use of any device for photographing, observing or eavesdropping actions or audio in a “private” place without permission of those being observed or listened to is a crime punishable by law. Some states also prohibit trespassing on private property to conduct unauthorized surveillance of people there. These states include: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Utah. In most of these states, the unauthorized installation or use of Hidden Cameras (those that are seen as violating ones 4th Amendment rights to privacy) is a felony offense.
Violating such laws is punishable by a $2,000.00 fine and a sentence of up to 2 years in prison.
Hidden Cameras in the Workplace
The idea of Hidden Cameras in the workplace is a relatively new one. Companies that are concerned with the on-the-job activities of their employees can get legal permission to install Hidden Cameras; however, without such legal permission to install the cameras, any findings from the surveillance tapes would be useless in enforcing disciplinary measures as stern as dismissal.
In a recent example, In July of 2005, a 2-1 panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a finding that the Anheuser-Busch committed an unfair labor practice when it installed hidden cameras in 1998 before bargaining with the union, as required under federal labor laws. The brewer had fired five workers in 1998 after Hidden Cameras showed the employees smoking marijuana in an area where workers sometimes take breaks at one of its St. Louis facilities. The example of the Anheuser-Busch case is relevant because that it touches upon all relevant issues surrounding not only privacy, but also privacy and surveillance in the workplace.
Anheuser-Busch argued that the cameras were a matter of internal security and that employees should not be awarded the expectation of privacy in the elevator, in motors room or the rooftop, which were not official break areas.
The NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) has allowed Hidden Cameras in the workplace for a long period of time, only demanding that the company bargains with the union prior to installation. However, the company does not have to say where the cameras are placed, thus allowing most or all of them to be hidden.
Despite the protection from Hidden Cameras that labor members may get, small-office employees and other non-union workers have very little they can say in opposition to such issues. Due to the absence of legal precedent in this area, small business owners and mid-level managers of large companies are able to get away with just about anything they want. While there is a common law of privacy in every state, such laws are very rarely used in surveillance cases, especially those pertaining to an employee’s conduct while on the job. The way the law stands that this very moment, an employer can for the most part put a Hidden Camera anywhere (including the restroom), and there’s little, if anything, that anyone can do about it.
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