Spy Review

I get quite a lot of feedback from readers, some of it is people seeking advice on certain issues, so I have decided to take a bit of time to answer a few of these. I have tried to be as specific as possible when answering them. For privacy, I have only used the first name of the person (where provided) who sent in the question.

We will do more of this from time to time, so please do not hesitate to ask a question if you feel you need advice on whatever is bugging you.

Question
I want to put a small gps device on birds of prey that I train to fly with Paragliders in the Himalayas, then I want to download that information onto Google Earth. Can you recommend a device that will do this?

Answer
You can get very small GPS logger devices which will do exactly that. Generally do a search for “GPS Loggers” and you might find something like the TrackStick (http://spy3k.be/Trackstick.html). The GPS logging devices simply record their location at pre-determined intervals, so you’ll need to find one that gives you very short logging intervals of just a few seconds to give you plenty of data to play with.

Question
Is tracking a mobile illegal in the UK? (Mike)

Answer
Tracking or surveillance without somebody’s expressed permission is illegal. The exception to this if the police or a government agency has a warrant issued to gather intelligence that eventually leads to the prosecution to the individual. If you have somebody’s permission to track them, e.g. of a family member, then this is not illegal.

Surveillance without permission does happen, however, considering many people spy on their partners, for example.

This information on privacy might help you from the official stance in the UK.
http://www.privacyinternational.org/countries/uk/surveillance/

Question
I was reading your articles on stealth computer surveillance and noticed an ad/link at the bottom of the page for blue-tooth computer surveillance. I went to the website and it seemed to be everything I was looking for, but I am still skeptical. Which is why I was trying to do all my homework before I purchased.

I would love to hear all conversations and text messages for a Nokia 6021 but was told by a company here in the UK that that the software they had would not work with this phone. So if you have reviewed this software can you plse help and give some advise. (J - only initial and surname given)

Answer
Generally, a lot of mobile phone spy software is over-hyped, full of bugs and doesn’t quite achieve what they say it does. In reality, bugging a mobile phone is hard work without a great deal of specialist knowledge and expensive resources. In practice, you’re not going to find software in the public domain that is going to achieve excellent results. In my personal experience, I’ve been very disappointed with spy software, so I prefer not to recommend any.

If the model of mobile phone is the limitation in using the software you want to try, why not buy a different model that is supported and offer the bugged phone as a gift.

Question
I’ve got a dvr (rapidos )with a small camera and the software but i just cant get the picture i keep getting a message saying that device dvr failed to initialize or cannot be found or its not ready any help please or some diagrams please… thanks nik (Nik)

Answer
If you have any problems with a piece of spy equipment that you have purchased, you must always go back to the retailer from which you purchased the equipment. In most countries, companies are legally required to replace or repair purchases that are broken when you purchase them. Those companies are also best suited to helping you resolve technical issues.

Question
Hi, I’m currently in a line of business whereby tracking the staff is one of our major selling points, as it gives our customers peace of mind. To jump straight to the question to save you time, i’m looking for a tracking device that can keep a constant connection and constantly record position dats via GPS on the device (no monthly fees) it will need atleast 2 - 3 metre accuracy be relatively inexpensive, i am willing to spend around 2-400 pounds. If you cannot help me could you point me in the right direction and give me the criteria for such hardware (things i need to know so i buy the right tracking hardware). Much appreciated, thank you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon. (David)

Answer
It’s very unlikely that you will find a realtime tracking solution that is purely a one-off purchase. The way that GPS coordinates are transferred to a server with a map device is using the mobile phone networks using GPRS. GPRS is a data service and there are costs associated with this that are considered to be a monthly expenditure.

You essentially need a GPS logging box with GPRS capability, an online service so you can see where the vehicle is, an external GPS antenna to get the best satellite reception, and a hardwiring kit to power the device off the vehicle power supply. A device I personally recommend that costs around £200 as a kit is the Parallel Track GPS Kit, that I reviewed on Spy Review last year.

http://www.spyreview.co.uk/2007/12/10/live-gps-tracking-kit-reviewed/