Beat Big Brother: Dodge CCTV, phone taps and spies

By Rory Reid on 19 March 2008, 2:55pm

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Most of us think bugging only happens in sci-fi movies. But most of us are poor, deluded fools. It recently emerged that in the UK, upwards of 1,000 people a day are being bugged by the government, intelligence services and local councils. Those being bugged vary from suspected Al-Qaida operatives to illegal fly tippers, and many innocent citizens are being bugged due to administrative errors. Don't be a victim -- protect yourself using these easy-to-follow techniques.

PR5000 Bug Detector
If someone's planted a listening device in your home, chances are you'll find it using one of these. This bad boy detects any VHF, UHF and microwave transmitter chattering in the 3MHz and 5GHz frequency, which is most bugs. If it detects anything suspicious, it'll beep or vibrate. You can even pinpoint the exact location of the bug thanks to the 10-LED indicator. The closer you are to the listening device, the more LEDs light up. It's that simple.
£645 from edirectory
Paranoia scale: 4 tinfoil hats out of 5

AJ34 White Noise Generator
Not all spies use traditional bugs. Some will literally park outside your home or office and eavesdrop using giant directional microphones. Obviously a bug detector isn't going to help you against these devices, but you can protect yourself using a white noise generator. While you're busy talking, these generate background noises that vary in frequency and amplitude, making them almost impossible to filter out. White noise works against RF transmitters, tape recorders and hard-wired microphones and will protect a room of up to 14 sq m.
£229 from edirectory
Paranoia scale: 5 tinfoil hats out of 5

Securephone Encrypted GSM phone
If you use a telephone, there's a good chance people can and will eavesdrop. A trained spy can clone your mobile phone or lock in on your conversations with relative ease, which is why you might want to use the Securephone. These are loaded with encryption software that scrambles your calls and texts using military-grade techniques. All calls are made using strict verification procedures and layered encryption, based on AES, Serpent and Twofish ciphers. At least two phones are required for encrypted voice and data communication, so you'll need to buy one for each and every trustworthy person you talk to. The hardware is an otherwise basic Qtek 8500 Musicphone, which features email, a dedicated music player, quad band, EDGE/GPRS and MSN Messenger.
£1,051 from Spycatcher
Paranoia scale: 5 tinfoil hats out of 5