Off the Rack Surveillance Technology is Yours to Buy and Use/ Privacy International (UK)

Thanks to NGO Privacy International, we learn that over 300 companies can sell you your own surveillance package, incorporating 97 different technologies.  For example:

Over the last four years, Privacy International has been gathering information from various sources that details how the sector sells its technologies, what the technologies are capable of and in some cases, which governments a technology has been sold to. Through our collection of materials and brochures at surveillance trade shows around the world, and by incorporating certain information provided by Wikileaks and Omega Research Foundation, this collection of documents represents the largest single index on the private surveillance sector ever assembled. All told, there are 1,203 documents detailing 97 surveillance technologies contained within the database. The Index features 338 companies that develop these technologies in 36 countries around the world.

These companies include the following examples, which offer services that include location monitoring (accurate to one meter via your cellphone), intrusion technology, and monitoring centers.  If you pay, you can play.  Unlike the NSA, however, no secret court has issued a classified ruling approving private surveillance.  (At least none that we know of.) However, surveillance trade shows are proliferating here, here and here, selling both snooping and protection from snooping to nations and to private entities. 

Update:  Forbes covers this story today.

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Featured Companies

Amesys is based in Aix-en-Provence, France and sells Monitoring Centres, Internet Monitoring, Audio Surveillance and Location Monitoring technology.

Gamma Group is based in Andover, United Kingdom and sells Monitoring Centres, Communications Monitoring, Technical Surveillance and Intrusion technology.

Utimaco is based in Aachen, Germany and sells Monitoring Centres and Communications Monitoring technology.

Nice Systems is based in Ra anana, Israel and sells Monitoring Centres, Communications Monitoring, Biometrics and Location Monitoring technology.

Cobham is based in Dorset, United Kingdom and sells Monitoring Centres, Phone Monitoring, Technical Surveillance and Location Monitoring technology.

Hacking Team is based in Milan, Italy and sells Intrusion technology.