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Counter Surveillance

Sun Tzu wrote a book over 2000 years ago titled, ‘The Art of War’, and it’s philosophies for managing conflicts and winning battles are often quoted as still being relevant not only in a military capacity, but in the art of being successful in business.

So, the quote for today is, ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle’.

So, taking aside the military aspect to the argument, knowing your own business and knowing your competitor’s business should give you a significant advantage.

All business and industry now use computers and the internet to share and pass information, much of it highly sensitive and of strategic importance to the company. The protection of this information ensures the security of the information and that it is passed on to only those authorised to see it!

Counter surveillance refers to measures put in place to prevent or detect unwanted intrusion, be it in the form of a competitor, criminal or media. This can take the form of utilising electronic measures, such as electronic bug detection/sweeping, counter surveillance software to protect computers and physical surveillance to establish whether individuals are themselves the subject of surveillance. Using these methods will provide peace of mind that individuals and information within the business are secure, or in the worse case, prevent the leak of vital information and intelligence that could literally break a business.

If you are concerned that you or your company are being monitored, then contacting a professional in the field can assist in protecting your intellectual property and data.

Often members of staff can be complicit in the planting of any bugs or listening devices, so confidentiality and discretion are vital. Conducting your own search should also be discouraged; apart from making a mess of your office and potentially destroying any evidence, you may also alert the opposition that you are aware of the threat, giving them time to safely remove any devices before you can find them.

Often members of staff can be complicit in the planting of any bugs or listening devices, so confidentiality and discretion are vital. Conducting your own search should also be discouraged; apart from making a mess of your office and potentially destroying any evidence, you may also alert the opposition that you are aware of the threat, giving them time to safely remove any devices before you can find them.

Once a professional sweep has been conducted, then potentially any offending bugging device can be removed or destroyed, or alternatively, tactics can be devised to feed misinformation that could reveal which competitor has been up to no good!

If you suspect that a surveillance team is following you or other members of staff, then a counter surveillance team can be used to avoid or disrupt any surveillance. This is most commonly used when high profile meetings are taking place where it is essential to know that participants activities are not being monitored.

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