Life "under the hood"

[Объединенное Детективное Бюро]

"Big brother is looking at you!" The nightmarish formula of total audio and video control from the famous Orwellian novel "1984" has long since gained flesh and blood all over the world. Only the writer had this control exercised by the state, and today it is possible to easily acquire or personally manufacture special technical equipment (STS) for wiretapping and surveillance. They are available to everyone - from ordinary citizens to private security companies or detective agencies. Personally, I literally in a few seconds caught on the Internet a lot of links to shops and salons that offer any such product, even in bulk, at least in retail, as well as information collection services.
But here’s the kind of hitch: you can certainly buy all this, but it’s impossible to collect information about the private lives of citizens with their help. Only law enforcement agencies and special services have the right to use such equipment. And then in the framework stipulated by law: either by court decision, or with the consent of the citizen himself, in respect of whom control is carried out.
At a press conference held yesterday by officers of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for the Murmansk Region and the K unit (for combating crimes in the field of high technology) of the regional police department, journalists were shown photographs from a criminal case against three employees of a private security agency. In the pictures - seized devices for the secret collection of information, including TV. It was installed in a room in one of the hotels in the Arctic capital. And it turned out to be not an ordinary television receiver, but also served as a sound and video recorder. Another device - a very sensitive microphone that can work offline for almost a day, was mounted in a sofa. So any person who shot this number immediately fell into the field of vision of craftsmen from a security company. According to investigators, they not only manufactured STS, but also established trade in them. And they also offered to everyone who wants to ensure the collection of information about a particular person. Rates - from seven hundred rubles per hour and above.
“We became interested in the activities of these people a year ago, when we stumbled on the Internet on advertisements of certain people who suggested organizing the collection of data on the private lives of citizens,” said Vadim Gavrilenko, head of department “K”. - They began to look closely at them. They acted cautiously so as not to frighten them away, since our defendants had an idea of the operational investigative work.
When enough evidence of illegal activity has accumulated, agency employees were detained. They seized the very STS that were intended for the illegal acquisition of information. Their appointment was confirmed by the FSB.
“An investigation team was created, on July 10, we opened a criminal case under part three of Article 138 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation,” Valentin Mikhailov, senior assistant to the head of the investigation department in the city of Murmansk, joined the conversation. - This is the illegal production and marketing of special equipment intended for the covert receipt of information. Such acts belong to the category of crimes of medium gravity, the sanctions are rather severe - the perpetrator can receive up to three years in prison. And then it will still be deprived of the opportunity for the same period to occupy certain positions or conduct certain activities.
According to the senior investigator of the department, Vitaly Gorelochkin, who is investigating this criminal case, it’s too early to clarify the names of the agency’s employees and his name. Now it is necessary to understand all the circumstances and not allow possible accomplices, if any, to destroy evidence and documents. But a little later, when the matter is completed, they promised journalists to tell all the details. Finally, a representative of the investigation department turned to the northerners:
- When you resort to such services, remember that the privacy of citizens is inviolable. There is a corresponding article of the Criminal Code about this. So do not become accomplices in crime by collecting information about other people!
By the way, such unlawful acts are not at all typical for our region: this case is only the second in the practice of law enforcement bodies of the Murmansk region.

Sergey BERDNIKOV
Published: "Murmansk Bulletin" on 07/14/2010
[DLMURL] https://www.mvestnik.ru/shwpgn.asp?pid=201007142611 [/DLMURL]

 

[Матушкин Андрей Николаевич]

I very much sympathize with my colleagues, talked with them on the phone yesterday, today the phone is off all day, I'm waiting for comments from them.

 

[Частный детектив. Дмитрий Викторчик. Беларусь. Мин]

Yes, you can sympathize. Purely human. Itself was in such a situation.
But, if everything is as the investigators say, then at the same time you can be outraged - why such frankly criminal actions ?!
However, the truth is most likely that each side will have its own, but to make up my mind I would very much like to see the comment of the main characters.

 

[Детективное агентство. Украина. Киев.]

Yes, an unpleasant story, I hope that colleagues will be able to find a way out of this situation ...