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Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?

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missb's picture
missb
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So I'm wondering what everyone thinks about all this new spygear out there. From watching over your kids, to spying on your significant other, to all kinds of spying. I love the idea of putting a GPS in my son's car (when he comes of age) and knowing where he goes, its also a test to see if he's lying to me. I also think these types of spygear work well for working parents who hire a new babysitter, anything I suppose that comes to the personal safety of your family. But when does it cross the line? How bout putting a listening device under your bosses desk (Hee Heei love that one) or what about your neighbors front porch? Your in-laws house? Would any of you consider doing something like this? or have you actually done it? whether its for the safety of a loved one or just pure out spying. Has technology become too much in this area and are we all bound to have no privacy at all in the next 10-20 years?

"These days, if you want to watch over your house, your kids or your significant other, there's a whole world of high-tech security devices out there you can use, in forms you may not have even imagined.

There are tiny GPS data loggers you can slip into someone's car or backpack to learn where they're going. There are audio recorders the size of Flash DrivesFlash Drives that can listen in and preserve the conversations of others nearby. And there are surveillance cams in a whole assortment of motion-activated disguises, including facial tissue dispensers, alarm clocks, outdoor home electrical boxes, bird feeders and even soft, furry teddy bears".

Read the article here

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Smartmom's picture
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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?

See this is where you can walk the legal fine line. I personally think if you are legally responsible for it then its fine. Examples tracking your kids via GPS or keyloggers (for the internet) is fine. Now installing surveillance cameras in their bedrooms would be not cool. I think you need to basically ask yourself why are you doing it. Also I see no problem with a company tracking employees with GPS in company vehicles. We use to do this at our office till it basically just took to much time and its not like we dont have a great crew. When I tracked them it was done though their cell phones that we gave them and they were aware of it. The GPS would give me a ton of info and would track them down to a 300 ft radius. Here is where I had to be careful from a legal standpoint. My employees keep the cell phones, they don't turn them in at the end of the day. We also let the employees add additional min to their phones (they pay for that but at a discounted corp rate). Once the employee was off the clock I was not allowed to legally track them - trust me I could care less what they do after hours.

I think also if your having a loved one taken care of, be it a elderly parent or a infant and you want to privately view the worker to make sure that your loved one is not being abused that is fine.

Where spying becomes illegal is if say you wanted to spy on your boy/girl friend and you do a remote keylogger - yeah big no no. You can put a keylogger on a computer that you personally own (like yours and one you purchased for your child) but not on anyone elses. Now don't quote me but I think its illegal to install a keylogger on say a childs laptop (even if you purchased it) that is for say your 18 yr old going to college. If your really into spying I would say know your laws. To me spying is not worth doing jail time over.

addon: I will say in the past I have used keyloggers on my kids (they have computers in their bedrooms). I'm also going to be purchasing in the next few months a car for my son. Right now I have no intension of putting a GPS chip on it but its not out of the question if I feel I need it.

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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?

If it's used for positive purposes, I'm for it. And personally, I think catching (with proof) a signifigant other in a life/relationship-altering lie or cheating is ultimately for a positive purpose. Who really cares if what you did to find out was immoral, when what they did was immoral to begin with, and it affects your life?

To help protect your family, it's good. If it's used for something like companies stealing trade secrets, etc., that's probably not cool.

Plus, in this day and age, it's almost like a James Bond movie, which kinda makes all of this stuff, and life, more interesting. Soon there'll be "bug" detectors to sniff out this spygear too. Every man for himself! Big Grin


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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?

Yep I totally agree with all that! All's fair in love and war !

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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?
missb wrote:

Yep I totally agree with all that! All's fair in love and war !

You think you;d feel the same if your personal emails, and social sites were being broken into? And then those personal emails were being fwded to other people in your life? Just sayin. Oh and BTW most of that stuff is illegal.


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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?

Um I don't see anywhere in this thread where anybody mentions breaking into personal emails or social websites.

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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?

I was referring to the "All's fair in love & war" statement. Which is why I quoted it. Just to point out that at some point privacy should be kept just that... private. I've been through having my privacy invaded several times, it's not fair. Period. Unless a person's safety is at risk.
Though I am happy that it's all come to a stop. YAY!


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missb's picture
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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?
Well I’ll stick by my all’s fair in love and war statement. We ALL have it in us to do things like that, whether it’s to catch a cheating sig other or even just to spy on an ex’s emails, and I think if someone says no I would never do that well I think they’re a big Liar

Glad to hear that your ordeal is over.
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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?

I agree with MissB on this one. I think there's a time and a place. As for love, If it weren't for access (granted, not hacking but still...) to my exes' computers and/or cell phones when I had a really nasty gut feeling I would've spent a h377 of a lot longer of my life dating cheaters. *blech* And as for war, it's always good to go into a situation fully-equipped with as much information as possible. Googling, "loopholes", etc...

If i had a mentally ill stalker (you know the kind--you hear about them on the news), that would creep me out and i would hate the thought of 'hackers' and stalkers. but i think that situation is completely different. I still wouldn't stop arming myself with the truth when necessary.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! (and completely nauseating at times Tongue )

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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?
GeekGirl wrote:

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! (and completely nauseating at times Tongue )

I agree. It can be VERY nauseating.


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Re: Personal spy gear: Is it ethical? Is it legal?

OK so I got to see this one GPS in action today - Zoombak

My brother put this on his teenage daughters car (she knows its there and is not happy about it). He got it at Radio Shack and paid $100. for it then had it hardwired into her car. This thing is great. He has certain addresses programed into it that when her car goes there or leaves there he gets a text message. So if she goes to or from her house, school, work or boyfriends he gets a message. Can't imagine why she was pissed today when he busted her skipping school - oh yeah daddy got a text that she left the school property. He even has it set up that if her car goes over 65 mph he gets a text. That text shows him where she was and how fast - its awesome. He said he pays like $120. a year for it - not bad. Oh he can also view maps of her online where she it (it updates ever 4 min). Mind you this is a teenager (still in high school) in a car that he bought for her. This is also the second one he bought the first one the bf found and he smashed it. He told the daughter you want to drive the car I bought (and he also pays for the gas and insurance) then get use to the tracker. I'm very proud of my brother Smile


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